6 Stylish Studebakers up for Grabs
Dr. Karl E. Peace, a biostatistician, author, and philanthropist who has worked in public health for decades, has donated his 32-car collection to benefit Georgia Southern University. One of Dr. Peace’s previous contributions, an endowment in honor of his late wife, Dr. Jiann-Ping Hsu, allowed the university to establish a college of public health in her name.
Hagerty Marketplace is hosting the auction of The Dr. Karl Peace & Georgia Southern University Collection, the majority of which are Studebakers.
We can’t remember the last time we saw so many of South Bend’s finest under one roof. While there are a couple of post-Studebaker Avantis, a Chevy, a Buick, a Mercury, and a couple of Fords among the collection up for sale, let’s take a look at some of our favorite Studebakers that we’ll be paying particularly close attention to as the auctions come to a close starting on June 11.
1953 Studebaker Champion Regal Starliner
The 1953 model year marked the first year of the low, sleek Starliner coupes, penned by Robert Bourke at Studebaker’s design studio, which was headed by the legendary Raymond Loewy. Studebaker coupes of this era are a favorite among land speed racers because they perform much better than their peers, and it’s easy to see why: Their streamlined shapes were unlike anything else on the road. Later Studebaker Hawk variations expanded on the theme with fins and extra trim—we’ll be highlighting some of those as well—but the original Starliner is one of the best iterations and proves that sometimes less is more.
1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk
Studebaker’s most powerful and prestigious model at the time, the Golden Hawk debuted in 1956 with 352 cubic inches of Packard V-8 power, showing the fruits of the brand’s merger with Packard two years prior. For 1957, a Studebaker 289 replaced the larger Packard mill, but the output was the same 275 horsepower as before thanks to a centrifugal supercharger. These luxurious winged coupes are a rare treat, and because a 1956 model participated in the famed Mille Miglia, this one in particular could also be eligible for entry, adding another reason why a collector might see this Golden Hawk as the prize of Dr. Peace’s collection.
1960 Studebaker Champ Pickup
Studebaker didn’t have the deep pockets of its Big Three rivals, so it had to get creative in the late ‘50s when the brand needed to replace its aging pickup truck line that had been in service since 1949. Using the same chassis and stepside bed as its previous light-duty pickup, Studebaker cobbled a truck cab together by shortening a Lark sedan. We’ve gotta say, for something built on a shoestring budget, the styling works pretty well. 1960 marked the final year of a 170 inline-six as a flathead; it got an overhead-valve cylinder head in 1961. These pickups are a rare sight and would likely gather quite a crowd at any car show. Combine that with its fantastic gold paint and this one was an easy pick for our list.
1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk
The Gran Gurismo Hawk represented the final evolution of the sleek Starliner coupe into a more formal and stately touring car. The prominent grille might be a bit brash, but the new greenhouse gave the Gran Tursimo Hawk an all-new profile that matched its more upscale ambition. Inside, a plush interior kept up the theme. This one is powered by a 289 V-8 and a three-speed manual. Membership to the Brown Car Appreciation Society is complimentary.
1964 Studebaker Avanti
Plenty of Studebaker’s designs were vastly different from anything else on the market, yet we can’t help but think that the Avanti was perhaps the most ambitious effort the brand ever made. Its sleek fiberglass body is unmistakable. Studebaker-produced Avanti models were powered by 289-cubic-inch Studebaker V-8s, some with optional Paxton superchargers like the Golden Hawk. This one is naturally aspirated and backed by a four-speed manual transmission. Finished in blue over a blue and white interior, this example looks fantastic in photos, although a few mechanical and cosmetic issues need sorting out. It’s still a well-preserved example of a sporty personal luxury car bursting with style.
1964 Studebaker Daytona Convertible
Like the Champ pickup we mentioned previously, the Daytona used a lot of the mechanical underpinnings of its predecessor. In this case, that was the compact Lark, the same car that served as the basis of the Champ. Renowned designer Brooks Stevens was responsible for completely redesigning the Daytona to compete with rivals like the Dodge Dart, Chevy Nova, and Ford Falcon. We’d say he succeeded, as the lines look clean and sharp, even today. Just 416 Daytona convertibles were built in South Bend before production moved to Ontario, so this represents one of the last U.S.-built Studebakers in the company’s history.
There are plenty of other Studebakers in the Dr. Karl Peace & Georgia Southern University collection—plus the odd Chevy, Ford, and Buick. If you’ve got room in your collection for a bit of American car history outside of the Big Three, then you might consider one of South Bend’s stylish alternatives and help Georgia Southern University in the process.
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I collect Studebakers. 1951 Champion convertible, 1956 Golden Hawk, 1958 Packard Hawk, 1963 Gran Turismo Hawk and a 1963 Avanti. The one most people love is the 1951 Bulletnose. It’s so cute but I think it’s that part of Muppet culture. The second one everyone go crazy over is the Packard Hawk. People have rarely seen anything that bizarre. In my opinion Studebaker made some of the most beautiful cars and without a doubt some of the ugliest. With the 1957 and 1958 sedans the world would have been better off if they were never produced. The 1958s look like a plastic model with the parts put in the wrong place.
1964 Daytona first, 1962 Hawk second, and the 1957 a distant last – I don’t like fins in general, and Studebakers were some of the worst examples of a bad idea.
I’ll take the truck
The 1953 Starliner Coupe has my vote!
I had a 62 GT Hawk and it was a very good vehicle. I sold it because of marriage and first child etc and wish I hadn’t. But before that I had sold a 57 Facel Vega HK 500 so you can tell I wasn’t all that bright in my youth. But on this group I’d also love to have a 53 Starliner with a budget to resto mod it into a driveable fun sports car in today’s standards. ….. Speaking of Starliners, a 60 Ford Starliner would also be nice 🙂
Love that Lark Daytona the most.
Here’s the story of my 64 R1 Avanti. Click on the link:
file:///C:/Users/wayne/OneDrive/Pictures/Cars/car%20shows%20&%20SDC%20&%20AOA%20meet%202022/Joy%20Ride.pdf
In the Summer of ’64, I got a job at my university and a 35% raise – I shopped for a car. A dealer in the state capital, Jackson MS, had an Avanti and a Mercedes 300 roadster in the showroom. Both were out of my price range.
I moved into my present house in 2000 Martinez – in the East Bay of San Francisco. A half block down was a ’53 Regal Starlight (My unequivocable choice), sitting in the driveway, never moving. I salivated every time I passed by it. A repaint on cherry sheet metal is easy and reasonably priced. I worried about the sun’s impact on the upholstery – not so inexpensive.
An old school hotrodder, I have two and a half ’32 Fords and an enormous storage garage and lots of parts and engines. The rational part of me said, “No Way” to that piece of automotive art.
While I lusted for a ’60 Champ pickup – dare to be different – too cool, I bought a grocery-getter ’73 F-100.’cause it was local.
Such is life.
The 58 President, Commander, and Provincial are rather odd looking. I like them.
Always loved the body style of the 53 coupe when I was a kid it was my favorite car style ahead of its time
I prefer the Hawk 1962/1963, the car that I own and drive here in Europe. I felt in love with its design at first sight because it enrichs american style with a little european touch.
I had a 55 coupe, 223 v8 3 speed, no Od, 411 gears. A $75 car in NY in 63. Drove to TX 4 years later towed a trailer to CT. Raced it. 4bbl, traction bars, duels, etc. 138,000 miles later, kids etc sold it. Drove more family cars. One of Best of over 25 and counting.
The 53 Coupe was the best, when you compare it to the shoe boxes everyone else were producing
My grandmother had one of the Hamilton Ontario built Larks when I was a young kid. I thought it was a neat car then and I still do. A buddy had one of the Lark wagons with the retractable rear roof. I used to borrow it for late night dates and stargazing.
NEVER could understand why these cars were not more popular and valuable! Not only they were solid cars but stylish as well!