1962 Studebaker Hawk GT 289 CI from North America

Summary:

Awesome

Faults:

I am working on this 62 beauty.

General Comments:

This 1962 Hawk GT is a beauty, I bought it for my 15 year old son, but I think we will be fighting to see who gets the keys.

The horse power that the Studebaker 289 produces is just awesome. The handling since we replaced the shocks is great, holds the road almost as well as my 03 Corvette, she sticks to the road like glue.

The only problem I find with this model is it has the 3 speed transmission mounted on the column. I would love to convert it to the floor, but my son would hit me over the head with a ball peen hammer.

This car has been lots of fun to bring back, and we are having a great time showing off our Hawk.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th September, 2009

12th Feb 2017, 04:57

Are the tires and suspension stock specs? It's a charming car, but it's hard to believe the Hawk handles nearly as well as a modern sports car.

11th Oct 2022, 17:00

Hawk GT is an interesting looking car, looks nice when I did an image search. Couldn't see much difference between the Studebaker Lark 6 & 8 though when I looked them up, probably just an engine difference I'm guessing.

1962 Studebaker Hawk GT GT 289 from North America

Summary:

These classics are very underated in all respects!

Faults:

The vehicle was hardly driven for the last 10 years, so a few problems arose as it became a daily driver, prior to its upcoming complete restoration.

The exhaust manifold gaskets blew out. However, repair was simple and easy, and the gaskets cost only $27.

The header-to-exhaust donut gaskets blew out. However, they were repaired with the new-type flared system, and no problems have arisen since.

The car has a very poor turning radius, and is a challenge to U-turn in tight lanes.

General Comments:

I totally agree with a previous review of these cars. They are very underrated.

I have been doing vehicle restorations since 1970, including the 1957 Ford T-Bird, 1956 Ford Victoria, and many more classics than can be listed here.

This was my first Studebaker, for restoration. I got it because I always loved the body design. The car has a factory 4-speed, and when compared to the '57 T Birds, the Studebaker has much better handling and power.

I was able to pick up this solid Hawk for what I would call a pittance, compared to anything I have restored so far. Now, after many hours of delighted driving, I am more amazed than ever at how unbelievably low the resale value is on these awesomely designed vehicles, although they are going up in value consistently.

The only problem with my Hawk is that I cannot get out of a parking lot without at least one person wanting to talk for hours about the car!

With the factory 4-speed, it is like driving a sports car, and the power that the little 289CI develops is far superior to the 312CI T-Bird engine.

I would just like to drive a factory-supercharged version of the Hawk someday. Of all the classic vehicles I have owned, this one is a keeper for the duration.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th November, 2005

14th May 2008, 20:41

I have owned 4 Studebaker Hawks - including 1 - 1962 Gran Turismo and a 1956 Golden Hawk. Both of these were truly memorable and vastly underrated. The little 289 V8 was capable of awesome power without a supercharger. A supercharger made the performance explosive.

The GT was a surprisingly real road holder for its time, and would do 120mph with a four barrel carb. Its brakes were great also.

Acceleration in the Golden Hawk with its huge torque loaded V8 was astounding, but handling was a bit less accomplished.

I did get a ride in a 57 Golden Hawk with a supercharged 289, and I recall that it was even quicker than the 352 Packard V8. Let me just say that that big Packard v8 was locomotive like, and torque was never lacking even doing triple digit speed. I was a crazy kid and did road test my cars.