Story
1958 Packard Hawk
The 1958 Packard Hawk was a one-year personal-performance hardtop built from the Studebaker Golden Hawk platform but given its own fiberglass hood and low, wide nose, modified deck lid, Packard trim, and leather cabin. It was model 58L-K9, not a trim package that can be established by badges alone. Packard built 588: 546 for the domestic market and 42 for export.
One supercharged engine
Every production Packard Hawk used Studebaker's 289-cubic-inch V8 with a McCulloch variable-speed centrifugal supercharger and a Stromberg WW two-barrel in a sealed enclosure. The published rating was 275 gross horsepower at 4,800 rpm and 333 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm. The engine-number starting point, supercharger, carburetor, castings, dates, and production order must agree before the assembly can be called original to a particular car.
Automatic or manual with overdrive
The usual transmission was the Borg-Warner Flight-O-Matic three-speed automatic. A Borg-Warner T85 three-speed manual with overdrive was also available. The automatic used a published 3.31 final drive, while manual-overdrive applications used different ratios. Twin-Traction limited slip was available. Pedals, controls, transmission case, overdrive, axle housing, ratio, dates, and records should be evaluated as one configuration.
Control arms, leaf springs, and finned drums
Independent front suspension used unequal-length control arms, variable-rate coil springs, hydraulic shocks, and an anti-roll bar. The live rear axle rode on parallel semi-elliptic leaf springs. Standard Hydrovac power assist operated 11 x 2.25-inch front and 10 x 2-inch rear finned drums. Disc brakes, modern steering, coilovers, or other later chassis changes need to be identified as modifications.
A Packard-specific body and cabin
The body combined a steel hardtop shell with a fiberglass hood and nose. The low grille, Packard lettering and crest, modified spare-tire-form deck lid, fin inserts, and model-specific emblems separated it visually from a Golden Hawk. Inside, full leather trim, an engine-turned instrument panel, tachometer, clock, and boost/vacuum instrumentation supported the luxury-performance brief. The known convertible was converted after production and is not a factory body style.
Colors and equipment
Reviewed records support Parchment White, White Gold Metallic, Canyon Copper Metallic, Parade Red, Mountain Blue Metallic, and Bluff Gray Metalli-Chrome in Packard model-year or surviving Hawk context. A complete Hawk-only color, accent, and trim restriction schedule was not found, so a production order and protected paint remain necessary for an individual car. Available equipment included manual overdrive, Twin-Traction, power steering, power windows, and a power seat.
Production, identity, and price
The reviewed starting serial is 58LS-1001, the body model is 58L-K9, and the engine-number starting point is LS-5201. Those model-level markers are only the beginning: title, serial plate, body tag, structure, engine, supercharger, carburetor, transmission, axle, brakes, suspension, paint, trim, cabin, dates, and ownership history must reconcile. The published base price was $3,995 before delivery and options.
Market context
The dated auction results and guide observation on this page cover different cars, conditions, restorations, equipment, and documentation. The one-off convertible is excluded from production-hardtop comparisons. These records provide historical context, not a current appraisal or proof of another car's identity or originality.