HARD-TO-FIND '59 STUDE, COLLECTOR OWNED, STRONG 259 V8, AUTO, R134 AC, PWR BRAKE

Description

Right before the end, Studebaker built some of the coolest hardware of the era, machines like this awesome 1959 Silver Hawk. With famous Raymond Loewy lines brilliantly revised by Brooks Stevens, this Hawk is at once instantly recognizable and outside the ordinary. If you're a member of the "dare to be different" club, this is the cruiser for you.Repainted in brilliant fire engine red, this Hawk looks fast just sitting still. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, it's a cool coupe that is every bit a match for its Thunderbird competition with a great deal more exclusivity. The original bodywork is unaltered and it's quite clean inside and out, and the all-new fins that were added in 1959 make it period perfect. Professional work on the finish ensures a deep, uniform shine and pretty good gaps for a car that just turned 57, although there's some wear in those areas that's probably unavoidable. Note the slick details like the chrome strips running atop the fenders front to back, the faux hood scoop, and the extravagant trim panel on the trunk lid that echoes the grille. You can even see some Austin-Healey in the sweep of the front fenders, and the sloping roofline was clearly borrowed from the Italians. It's rare to find one of these in any condition, but one like this deserves a special place in your collection.The swinging '50s were running at full speed inside, where the red interior combines the best of sports and luxury cars of the era. The bench seats are wide and comfortable, but the array of round gauges ahead of the driver is pure sports car. The engine-turned panels on the dash are a performance look that dates back perhaps as far as the '20s and a tachometer was still somewhat of a rarity in American cars of the '50s. The black carpets are in good shape and offer some contrast, so it's not red overload, and there's plenty of room for four in the most stylish interior of the period. The original radio has been replaced by a cool AM/FM/cassette head unit that seems to have been made just for this application, so it's a neat fit. There's also an under-dash A/C unit that's fully functional thanks to an R134a refrigerant upgrade. The trunk is surprisingly large, making the Hawk a great car for long-distance touring, and it's outfitted with a reproduction mat and cover for the full-sized spare tire.Power comes from Studebaker's sturdy and powerful 259 cubic inch V8. This was the only engine available in the Hawk that year, and it was virtually bulletproof, offering plenty of performance that suits the sporty coupe quite nicely. It's buried under the big A/C compressor and power brake booster, but the open-element air cleaner feeds a 4-barrel carburetor on an aluminum intake, a glimpse into the future perhaps. There's a stock-style generator for generating electricity and stock exhaust manifolds dump into a custom dual exhaust system with mellow-sounding mufflers, so it sounds flat-out awesome without getting annoying. The original 3-speed automatic shifts well and the chassis is original, not restored, but restoration appears to be unnecessary. Standard steel wheels with Studebaker hubcaps are the perfect look, and wear right-sized 205/75/15 whitewall radials.Unusual, fast, and stylish, this Studebaker is a great alternative for the guy looking to make a statement. Call today!