Though equally ridiculous as the Avanti are the “bullet-nose” vehicles of the early 1950s, the Hawk series is also noteworthy. The Hawk lineage was first introduced in 1956, two years after the Studebaker-Packard merger. It produced eight distinct versions before going out of production in 1964. The most well-known iteration of the series is arguably the Golden Hawk. It was the company’s flagship model from 1956 to 1958 and one of only three Hawks produced in a row. The other two are the Silver Hawk and the Gran Turismo Hawk.
Four of the remaining five models were offered for one year only, which makes them rare classics nowadays. Especially since many of them did not make it to 2022 in one piece. Except for the Packard Hawk, which was offered in 1958, all the other one-year wonders were built in 1956 and were part of the initial roll-out of the Hawk series.
That year, in addition to the flagship Golden Hawk, there were three more models available: the Flight Hawk, Power Hawk, and Sky Hawk. Yes, exactly as you may have predicted, they were essentially just different trim levels of the same vehicle.
The entry-level model with the least remarkable characteristics was the Flight Hawk. However, it was limited to use with an inline-6 mill. The next in line was the Power Hawk. It was a two-door coupe with pillars as well, standard with a V8 engine and a few accessories.
There there was the Sky Hawk, which wasn’t quite as fancy as the Golden Hawk but it boasted a pillarless coupe layout and a two-tone paint scheme.
Its 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) V8 was also notably more powerful than the Power Hawk’s, delivering 225 horsepower (an extra 40 horses) in its optional, four-barrel form.
Not quite popular during its sole year on the market, the Sky Hawk moved only 3,050 examples, about 1,000 fewer than the more expensive Golden Hawk. The white-over-green example you see here is one of those cars.
It’s also a beautifully restored, rust-free specimen, unlike many of its siblings that are still in existence. In addition, it has a few contemporary additions like Bluetooth connectivity and a radio. However, it also has an alternative engine. Although it came from a more recent Avanti, it is still a V8 and still of the Studebaker kind. Similar to the Sky Hawk, the latter model also had a 289-cubic-inch mill, but it was rated at 240 horsepower in naturally aspirated form and 289 horsepower when using a Paxton supercharger.
The Sky Hawk is fitted with the former but the engine has been rebuilt with a .020 overbore and equipped with Avanti headers, a new exhaust system, and a new Edelbrock carburetor. Output figures are a mystery, but the seller claims the car has “plenty of power.”
With only 3,500 miles (5,633 km) on it, the engine is basically new, just like the Borg Warner T-10 gearbox that comes with it. The coupe still has original drum brakes at all corners, but they’ve been rebuilt and “stop very well.” While far from perfect as a classic, this Sky Hawk is a rare opportunity in this condition.