Studebaker Lark/Hawk buyer's guide

Overview

This guide covers Studebaker's final decade of cars (1953–66): the Loewy-coupes' descendants — the Hawk line (1956–64: Golden Hawk, Silver Hawk, Hawk and the Gran Turismo Hawk) — and the Lark (1959–66), the compact that briefly saved the company and hosted, at the end, the remarkable R-series performance programme (the Super Lark and the Avanti-engined cars of 1963–64, built around Andy Granatelli's Bonneville-proven motors). Studebaker closed its US plant in December 1963 and its Canadian plant in 1966; the last cars are orphans with a devoted support world. The Golden Hawk (especially the Packard-engined 1956 and the supercharged 1957–58) and the GT Hawk are the design collectibles; the R2 Super Lark is the performance summit.

Generations and year breaks

1953–1958 — Hawk origins and the finned Hawks

• The 1953 Loewy coupes (Starliner/Starlight) founded the line; the Hawk name arrived for 1956 with the range from the six-cylinder Silver Hawk to the Golden Hawk with Packard's 352 V8 (1956 only).
• Golden Hawk 1957–58: the Studebaker 289 with a McCulloch/Paxton supercharger — the fastest Studebaker of its day, finned and flamboyant.
• The Scotsman (1957–58) is the austerity footnote at the family's economy end.

1959–1966 — the Lark era

• The Lark (1959) — a shortened full-size body as a compact — sold strongly at first and carried the company; convertibles, wagons (the sliding-roof Wagonaire, 1963–66) and the Daytona performance trim broadened it.
• The Hawk continued alongside as the Gran Turismo Hawk (1962–64) with Brooks Stevens' handsome re-trim.
• The R-series (1963–64): Granatelli's programme put the Avanti's R1/R2 (supercharged) engines into Larks and Challengers — the R2 Super Lark is a documented, registry-known rarity; the Daytona convertible paced Indianapolis for the era.

1964–1966 — the Canadian close

• After South Bend closed (December 1963), production continued in Hamilton, Ontario with bought-in Chevrolet engines (the 194/230 sixes and 283 V8) for 1965–66 — fine cars, but their "Studebaker V8" story ends with 1964.

Engines and options that matter

• Studebaker's own V8 (259/289) — a famously over-built small-block; the 289 is the Hawk/Lark performance base.
• The supercharged 289 (Golden Hawk 1957–58, R2) — the Paxton blower is the component: verify its presence, identity and health; unblown cars wearing the badges are common.
• Packard 352 (1956 Golden Hawk) — one year, one engine; verified by the engine's identity.
• The R1 (high-compression) and R2 (supercharged) in Larks and the Avanti line are identified by their engine numbers (the R-series blocks carry their own serial sequences) — the registry is the verification.
• Flight-O-Matic automatics and the three/four-speed manuals divide the range; overdrive sixes are the economy cars.

What to check before buying

• Rust: Studebakers of this era rot in the front wings (the famous "Studebaker fender" rust at the rear of the front wing), sills, floors, the Hawk's boot floor and the frame's rear rails. Fiberglass-bonnet cars (some Hawks) hide their own cracks.
• Supercharger health: the Paxton unit's drive and bearings are specialist items; boost delivery and noise tell the truth on a test drive.
• Engine identity: the engine number is stamped on the block's front-left machined pad — on Studebakers it is the primary record (the R-series numbers are documented sequences); the body tag and the serial plate (door jamb) complete the picture.
• The Canadian cars: a 1965–66 car should have the Chevrolet engine; a "Studebaker V8" claim in those years disproves the seller's knowledge, not the car.
• Parts: the Studebaker world (the Drivers Club and its vendors, plus the famous South Bend surplus stocks) supports these cars better than their orphan status suggests; trim and Hawk-specific panels are the hunts.