Studebaker’s Hawk line debuted in 1956 with much fanfare, as the Studebaker-Packard Corporation branded the new model as a “Family Sports Car.” The Hawk line evolved from Studebaker’s critically acclaimed 1953 Starlight Coupe and Starliner Hardtop and was one of final Studebaker designs penned by Raymond Loewy Associates.

The Hawk was built in two generations, the 1956-61 Loewy-inspired design and the 1962-64 Brooks Stevens’ restyle. Hawks were built under several different names, including the flagship Golden Hawk and best-selling Silver Hawk, as well as single-year models such as the Sky, Power and Flight Hawk and the Packard-badged Packard Hawk. In 1960-’61, it was simply referred to as the “Hawk,” and the 1962-64 Gran Turismo Hawk was nicknamed the “GT Hawk.”

Just over 80,000 Hawks were built during its nine year run, and although never a big seller, the Hawk has become one of Studebaker’s most iconic automobiles and remains tremendously popular today.

About this Series

Birds of a Feather: Studebaker Hawks was on display at the Museum in 2020.  This series of articles comes for the displays from that exhibition.