1963 Studebaker Super Hawk & Lark Ad with John Cameron Swayze

[ywildbore61]

actually they could go faster than stated depending on diff ratio and for example an 289 r1 was rated at 240 hp but was really just over 250hp and a r2 was really over 300 not 290 as stated the r5 set up getting up to well over 600 to 670 horses and r3 up to 400 hp my brothers lark r1 with auto trans could reach 140 mph had a 3.07 diff when he had it back in 1974 so there you go

[pav777tube]

My father worked at a garage back then, he said they used to call them Steadybreakers

[FamilyOfMan1975]

The Avanti was a great car but too ahead of its time.

A shame, too. It's still a highly sought after car today.

[ftsjr]

Since I was a child in the 60s, I've loved the Avanti. An absolutely beautiful car.

[GoldenHawk400]

Nothing can approach the looks of the Super Hawk!

[bongomanfromdalou]

The Super Lark and Super Hawk made up an extremely small percentage of 1963 Studebaker production (which wasn't all that large to start with!). One only wonders what could have happened had Studebaker really had a chance to really update the bread-and-butter cars (they were reskinned for 1964, but they still used the old 1953 chassis.). Sad part was Studebaker was making money from its non-auto operations but creditors wouldn't let them use that money for the cars!

[ducatinova]

Studebaker made some of the best looking and some of the ugliest cars. While the Loewy coupe and the Avanti were historical, the money should have been used on main stream money making family cars.

[ZiuoxZui]

Raymond Lowey's Avanti design was brilliant. Still one of the most beautiful cars ever created.  Also a predictor of future designs(i.e. coke bottle shape).

[thespawnof66]

I do miss Studebaker, but truthfully, they made some big errors, especially just after the war. As for the Avanti, it really was an interesting design. I'm not sure it was what was needed, but it was interesting.

[Gamecockslover]

nice cars.

[1952kid]

I remember these cars in the early 1960's as a kid. There werent to many of them,thats why i remember them, saying, look theres one of those cars again. i did like Rambler station wagons back then too.

[bogee4u]

Yes..The stimulus package includes money to start producing Studebakers again...great news

[HickysBoy]

My Uncle Jerry always bought Studebakers. He had a Hawk and I thought it was the greatest looking car I ever saw. They were pioneers in design - and got the arrows in their backs to prove it!

[studebakerempire]

Studebaker is back! GOOGLE>>>"PLUNDERHERE" ENTER "SUPERCAR"

[robbyjmc]

I have a 63 Lark daytona wagonaire and it hauls ass!! original 259 engine. Just need shocks and a power steering pump. Slide roof owns!!

[arcturus33333]

Yeh it's a shame Americans turned their backs on great marques like this, and went out and bought VW's, Datsuns, Renaults, Toyotas etc. instead. Lost some nice cars and no telling how many American jobs. Kinda cut our own throats in a way it seems.

[winston5610]

For a time, Studebaker was distributor of Mercedes Benz in the U.S., and was in negotiations with Toyota to distribute their cars as well. I like to think that the people buying "import" makes today would be buying Studebakers and Willys and Packards oday if they had the chance. We have a Buick so shoddily built that there are no two body panels in the same ZIP code. The Big two bankrupted the domestic competition and now cry "Foul!" when buyers demand something better.

[vividwatch47]

By coincidence, ever notice that the grille of the 1962-64 Larks resemble that of the Mercedes-Benz? Too bad Mercedes would later screw Chrysler!

[BigGayerAl]

I think that was deliberate, because Studebaker had a marketing agreement with Mercedes and sold Mercedes through Studebaker dealers.

[badgerbuddy]

I have 4 studebaker superlark rims hanging on my wall, and they are in perfect condition!

[MsgtSpook]

Great cars -- the Hawks, sadly, are a mostly forgotten but beautiful and powerful car.

With some creativity even an old Studie Commander could move well. We used to drop in small Chrysler Hemis (like 331) and a Willys Jeep stickshift -- everything fit perfectly with no need for any kind of adapter kits.

I watched an early Hawk rust to death in the woods over a ten-yr period. Never could get any of my car club buddies interested in it, unfortunately.

Great cars, better than today's trash.

[winston5610]

Original-powered Studes moved pretty well without engine swaps, and the supercharged studes were among the fastest cars in the world at the time.

[vividwatch47]

Ever see a G.T. Hawk Daytona?

[vividwatch47]

I totally agree. The Avantis were fine, but I liked the G.T. Hawks from 1962-64 better. The G.T. Hawk cries out for a 1:25 or 1:18 discast release. It breaks my heart when I see a G.T. Hawk rust or lies neglected in a driveway. Most cars today lack the style of this one.

[ARCANOE]

Lovely video from a once upon a time great cars, thanks for this video, the memories comes always with joy.

[GenericGene]

They had some grunt for a standard production car.