1956-1958 Studebaker Golden Hawk

Though not rare, you’re far less likely to see a Golden Hawk on the road than a Thunderbird or Corvette, making the Studebaker a good choice for those collectors who aspire to be both unique and on a budget

by Marit Anne Peterson

Studebaker’s Golden Hawk was the product of an era when sports cars were unfamiliar to most Americans. Like its contemporaries, the Ford Thunderbird and Chevrolet Corvette, the Hawk began as an awkward attempt at filling this void with a new type of American car, one with sporting pretensions and a European look. While the T-Bird and ’Vette went on to become icons, defining opposite ends of the luxury sports car continuum, the sports coupe from South Bend, Indiana, never got the chance to evolve. But today Golden Hawks offer plenty of style and power for significantly less money than either of the two classics from Detroit. The Golden Hawk’s genesis began in 1953, when Studebaker debuted a striking new coupe with minimal chrome, a hidden radiator, and a lower stance. The Starliner was designed by Raymond Loewy and Bob Bourke, and Studebaker could justifiably claim it was the only domestic vehicle at the time that was on par with the Europeans in styling. In...