As years passed, Studebaker's sales declined, depriving it the financial resources to do more than facelift existing design platforms. So for model year 1956, Studebaker coupes were given substantial facelifts. They were also renamed. No longer were they Starlight and Starliner coupes -- they now were Hawks! I wrote about first-generation Hawks here.
Studebaker-Packard Corporation was created in 1954, and the last "true" Packards were marketed for the 1956 model year. For 1957 and 1958, Packards used Studebaker sedan bodies with Packard-related trim. Then for 1958, Studebaker coupe bodies were given a Packerd treatment and named Packard Hawks. The Wikipedia entry about the Studebaker-Packard Hawk series is here, and the entry for the Packard Hawk itself is here.
Given that 1958 saw the basic classic Studebaker coupe facelifted and stretched over two brands, I thought that it might be interesting to show the results.
Starting in 1953, Studebaker coupes came in two varieties -- basic coupes with B-pillars and hardtop coupes lacking those pillars. Silver Hawks were the former type. They were available with either inline-six or V-8 motors. All other Hawks were V-8 powered.
List prices for Silver Hawks began at $2,352, and those for Golden Hawks (hardtops only) were $3,470. That included a 275 horsepower Packard V-8 engine, not available for Silver Hawks that had to make do with Studebaker V-8s.
Packard Hawk - BaT Auctions photo
Basic list price was $3,995. The hood-grille combination differs from Studebaker Hawks. A slight hint of traditional Packard "yoke" shaping on the upper edge of the grille opening would have provided a Packard feeling that's lacking here. I suppose the hood sculpting was intended to say "Packard," but I find that call too weak.
The side trim and two-tone for the tail fin is awkward. It seems a bit cheap. The heavy B-pillar and related C-pillar zone is visually cramped, but this defect was there in 1953 at the beginning.
Golden Hawks seem a little over-chromed. But 1950s American cars were flashy, so this was acceptable. The side chrome spear works well in this shortened form. And the two-tone zone for the tail fin is much nicer than the Silver Hawk's, though adding heaviness to the after third of the design.
From the side, Packard Hawks are nearly the same as Golden Hawks. One difference is the anodized treatment on the fin area. Another is that tan interior material wrapped over the passenger compartment beltline.
Aside from the two toning mentioned above, we find the rear detailing the same as on the Silver Hawk, but with more chrome -- especially on the tail light assemblies.
The difference here is the reshaped trunk lid with a faux spare tire cover, a feature previously found on Chrysler Imperials.
2 comments:
The 1957-58 Golden Hawks and Packard Hawk used a supercharged 289 cid Studebaker engine. The Packard engine was only used in the 1956 Golden Hawk, after which it went out of production when Packard's Detroit facilities closed.
I bet the Packard trunk lid was the original one from 1953 with the fake spare tire cover added. When the Studebakers turned into Hawks they got a more squared off trunk lid with a grille-like area stamped in at the back. In the final facelift with the fake Thunderbird roof welded on they got a real fake grille there.
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