Reviving The Studebaker Name: This Silver Hawk Is A Work Of Art
The Studebaker Silver Hawk had the misfortune to come out of a rapidly collapsing company, else it would be remembered far more. Produced from 1957-59 (and from 1960-61 as the Hawk,) a steel strike interrupted production leaving it essentially orphaned for several months. However, production was restarted when sales of the Lark, one of Studebaker’s last success stories, began dropping off. Sadly, the fall in sales ended up contributing to Studebaker’s demise just a few years later.
While the company may be long dead, surviving Studebakers are beloved by some sections of the car community. Jay Cimino, of Colorado Springs, is one such fan. His 1957 Silver Hawk has seen some intense modification, but mainly under the hood. Underneath the Studebaker body, there’s a lot of Corvette. I can’t complain about that. The front and rear suspension is from a C4. Explosive! The engine is from a ‘Vette too, so this thing will bolt along the highway with no trouble.
The all-leather interior looks like it has come from a classy Victorian club. It should do too, with the work that’s gone into the interior costing somewhere around $40,000. Let’s get back to the car’s meaty engine for a moment — it’s a 350 ci Chevrolet LT1, accompanied by a Kinsler injection system, kicking out 370 horses to the rear wheels. This car really is essentially a Corvette that’s been forcibly mounted on to a Studebaker body, and a one-of-a-kind roadster.
Watch the video, I think you’ll enjoy it. If you want to skip directly to the Silver Hawk, its segment begins at 7:19.
