Photo: Classic Cars of SC Inc
The Studebaker Golden Hawk is a landmark of an automobile whether most contemporary petrolheads remember it or not. Thanks to the merger of Studebaker and Packard in 1954, the joint company both failed to find a new image for the historic Packard brand but also didn't do much to help Studebaker either.
The remains of that partnership now lie in the grass at Classic Cars of SC's lot in Gary Court, South Carolina. The merger between these two classic American brands directly led to the development of the Studebaker-Packard Hawk series upon which the Golden Hawk was based.
Between 1956 and 1958, the Golden Hawk was as close to a Cadillac, a Lincoln, or an Imperial without coming from a big 3 Detroit manufacturer. Instead, the Golden Hawk was built in Packard's facility in Utica, Michigan. Here, the last ever iterations of the famous Packard V8 engines were put under the hood of the Golden Hawk before the plant was sold to Curtiss-Wright and switched to the 4.7-liter Studebaker V8 instead. By 1958, production on the Golden Hawk had ceased.
Soon after, the Packard company as it once was would disappear forever, and Studebaker itself wouldn't be too far behind, lasting until 1967. In perfect condition, a Studebaker Golden's been known to sell for as high as $99,000 via auctions like Barret Jackson. But in the positively dismal state, it serves as something other than a collector's item. Instead, this poor little Studebaker with the engine, transmission, and most of the front end missing or rusting, is a perfect metaphor for the company that made it.
Studebaker-Packard serves as a grizzly reminder that not all corporate buyouts are done with A, the best intentions, or B, with much thought for the future. But just in case you want the remains of this Golden Hawk for something like a neat art sculpture, it can be yours for just $1,000.
Between 1956 and 1958, the Golden Hawk was as close to a Cadillac, a Lincoln, or an Imperial without coming from a big 3 Detroit manufacturer. Instead, the Golden Hawk was built in Packard's facility in Utica, Michigan. Here, the last ever iterations of the famous Packard V8 engines were put under the hood of the Golden Hawk before the plant was sold to Curtiss-Wright and switched to the 4.7-liter Studebaker V8 instead. By 1958, production on the Golden Hawk had ceased.
Soon after, the Packard company as it once was would disappear forever, and Studebaker itself wouldn't be too far behind, lasting until 1967. In perfect condition, a Studebaker Golden's been known to sell for as high as $99,000 via auctions like Barret Jackson. But in the positively dismal state, it serves as something other than a collector's item. Instead, this poor little Studebaker with the engine, transmission, and most of the front end missing or rusting, is a perfect metaphor for the company that made it.
Studebaker-Packard serves as a grizzly reminder that not all corporate buyouts are done with A, the best intentions, or B, with much thought for the future. But just in case you want the remains of this Golden Hawk for something like a neat art sculpture, it can be yours for just $1,000.
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