Studebaker emerged from the Second World War with strong financial projections. The company that was born in South Bend, Indiana was unwavering to continue its success into the 1950s. The company introduced the low-slung and very attractive Loewy coupes in 1953, available in Starliner and Starlight variants. Raymond Loewy oversaw development while Robert Bourke executed the actual design. A Speedster version was introduced in 1955 in the top-of-the-line President Series, and was continued in essence the following year in the Hawk series.

This particular Golden Hawk is powered by a McCulloch supercharged 289-cid, 275-hp V-8 engine. Backing this powerful engine is a three-speed manual transmission. The stylish exterior is finished in two-tone white and green paint showing to be in decent condition. Adorning the car is lovely brightwork and polished wheel covers. The black interior shows its age, but surprisingly has no large, obvious tears or imperfections. Additional to the car is a spare tire, jack and other various car parts.

With the Studebaker comes some interesting documentation that that helps tell the story of this unique car. One of these items is the original owner’s packet which contains the original owner’s manual and books. Another items accompanying the car is several period magazines that talk about Studebaker, the original registration cards from 1957, along with travel insurance documents from 1968 when the car went to Mexico.

This Studebaker Golden Hawk belonged to an avid collector in Arizona, who had a passion for early American classics. Unfortunately, due to health issues that led to his passing, his cars laid in a “mothballed” inactive state for many years. This recent “desert garage find” revealed collector cars that have been sitting in a dry, enclosed storage building that left them unexposed to the elements, leaving the Studebaker with great structural integrity.

All of the cars from this collector appear to have all had restorations many years ago, the exact time that they were completed is unknown. Since the cars have been removed from their long-term storage, they have been transported to Tired Iron Works in Monrovia, California. Chris Kidd, the shop owner, has revived the Studebaker to a running and driving state; however the car is not roadworthy and will need further attention to bring it back to a travel worthy vehicle. It has been recommended that the next owner go through the entire mechanicals systems. This vehicle is still a worthy candidate to completely restore or refresh and enjoy it in the beautiful state that it is in now.