Following the initial mad scramble for sales after the war when an automaker could sell just about anything, when the market changed from a seller's paradise to a buyers market, Studebaker began to struggle. The company had stolen a march on all of its competition with its Loewy-inspired styling that appeared in 1947 but once GM and Ford in particular cranked up their vast resources smaller companies like Studebaker found they could not compete. Resources were limited and so the company had to make a design last much longer in the market and engineering upgrades were few and far between. Derived from the Champion two-door coupe from 1953 Studebaker developed a line of long, low stylish coupes that were badged as Hawks that lasted from 1956 through 1966. Called variously Flight Hawk, Power Hawk, Sky Hawk, Golden Hawk, Silver Hawk, and from 1958 Packard Hawk they all shared one thing, distinctive styling, high performance (especially the V8s) and roomy comfort for two people. There was nothing like them from any other American manufacturer, they were unique. To rejuvenate their styling Studebaker commissioned Brooks Stevens to give them a European look with minimal investment in new tooling. The Hawk Gran Turismo that resulted was to see the company through to its unfortunate demise in 1966. While the style was distinctive and very much in vogue, the mechanical components, separate chassis, independent front suspension, engines (V8s mostly), steering and brakes, were well and truly proven and had not kept up with the competition. From 1959 Studebaker added the compact Lark VI (powered by an ancient side-valve six) and Lark VIII (powered by a big, heavy V8) to its model lineup and these cars very nearly saved the company but because they were designed and built on old engineering practices compared with the new compacts from the Big Three they really only delayed the inevitable. The Lark name was applied to a variety of 2- and 4-door sedans, 2- and 4-door station wagons, hardtop coupes and convertibles as well as the extraordinary Wagonaire station wagon with the slide-away rear roof section. Lark VIIIs with the 259cid or 289cid V8 engine were performance leaders in their time, their top speed was well over 100mphand, when made available with either the R1 or R2 supercharged 289 V8s that produced 240bhp and 300bhp respectively courtesy of a Paxton centrifugal supercharger, were blisteringly fast. These cars garnered much media attention but sadly for the company few were sold; they are much sought after today. But it was all too little too late as the money ran out and the amalgamation with Packard in 1956 gave management little respite. All over the world today people covet Studebaker cars because they were strong and solid, even if a little stolid. Included are road & comparison tests, new model intros, driver reports plus a history of the cars. Models covered: Golden & Silver Hawks, Lark VI, VIII, Daytona, Wagonaire, Cruiser, Gran Turismo & Packard Hawk.
