Story
1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk
The 1962 Gran Turismo Hawk gave Studebaker's long-running coupe a clean new identity. Company president Sherwood Egbert asked designer Brooks Stevens to modernize the car without funding an all-new body. Stevens removed the fins, added a formal roof and recessed rear window, simplified the sides, and paired a tall square-pattern grille with a completely redesigned cabin.
Domestic 289 and export engines
Domestic 62V-K6 cars used Studebaker's 289-cubic-inch V8. With a Stromberg WW two-barrel and 8.5:1 compression, it was rated at 210 gross horsepower and 300 lb-ft. The optional Carter WCFB four-barrel and dual exhaust raised the rating to 225 horsepower. A midyear production change introduced the full-flow oil-filter engine, so the filter arrangement must be judged against engine number, build timing, castings, and the production order.
The 259 V8 and 170 six were cataloged only for export markets. A 259 currently installed in a domestic-prefix car is evidence of its present drivetrain, not proof that domestic GT Hawks could be ordered that way.
Four transmission paths
The standard transmission was a three-speed column-shift manual. Overdrive, a floor-shift Borg-Warner T10 four-speed, and Flight-O-Matic automatic were available. Twin-Traction limited slip was optional. A console shifter or gas-door emblem can support an inspection, but the transmission case, pedals, linkage, driveshaft, axle, dates, and production order must agree before calling an installation original.
Coils, leaf springs, and finned drums
The 120.5-inch-wheelbase frame carried independent front suspension with variable-rate coil springs, an anti-roll bar, and direct-acting shocks. The live rear axle rode on asymmetrically mounted semi-elliptic leaf springs. Hydraulic finned drum brakes were standard front and rear, with power assist available. Front discs belong to later factory and conversion paths and should be identified separately on a 1962 car.
First-year exterior details
The 1962 center grille has a simple square pattern and no center emblem. Small rectangular signal lamps sit in body-color side surrounds. The doors carry script-only Gran Turismo emblems, and the deck uses a black checkered overlay with an unpainted Studebaker Hawk script panel. The circular deck emblem contains a gold Hawk. Wheel-cover designs changed during production, and optional Air-Flo and Air-Strut covers were available, so one cover style is not universal.
Eight colors and a year-specific cabin
The documented palette contains eight colors, and the reviewed club record says factory GT Hawks used solid-color applications. Contrasting roofs on surviving cars need production-order evidence or must be presented as later finish work.
Inside, the GT Hawk seated five with front buckets, a center console, and a fold-down rear armrest. The driver faced a woodgrain three-plane instrument cluster while a perforated metal overlay covered the passenger side. Horizontal seat-insert pleats are a 1962 tell. Regal cloth and vinyl came in blue, green, or taupe; optional all-vinyl offered black, taupe, blue, red, green, or saddle tan. Black inserts changed from ivory to black during the model year.
Production and identity
Production totaled 9,335: 7,842 at South Bend, 546 in Canada, and 947 for export. Public records reviewed for this page do not break that total down by engine, transmission, axle, paint, upholstery, or option, so those quantities are left unknown.
Start authentication with the 62V or export 62S serial identity and K6 body, then reconcile the production order, body tag, shell, year-specific grille and trim, P-series engine number, full-flow timing, induction and exhaust, transmission, axle and Twin-Traction evidence, drums and power assist, suspension, protected paint, upholstery, dashboard, component dates, ownership chain, and restoration history. No badge, four-speed, four-barrel, paint color, or one serial number establishes the entire car.
Price and market context
The published base price was $3,095 before delivery and options. The dated sales and guide observation on this page span survivors, restorations, modified cars, and projects with different drivetrains, equipment, condition, and history. They document market activity rather than value or authenticate another Hawk.