> EYE CANDY: 1963 STUDEBAKER HAWK GRAN TURISMO
> BRAND LOYALTY
The car: 1963 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk
The owner: Ted and Carol Brown, Bracebridge, Ont.
The story: This is the third Studebaker we have owned in our 59 years of marriage. The first was our wedding car, a 1955 Studebaker Commander. That one was followed by a 1960 Lark.
The smaller of the two vehicles in the picture — that’s me, Ted, driving it — is our current mode of transportation. For the record, it is a Royal 4 electric mobility scooter.
We have taken our Studebaker to local car shows and it is a pleasure to watch people enjoy it. Although it is 52 years old, it has just 53,000 miles on it, and is well-equipped with conveniences: power steering, power brakes, Studebaker’s 289-cubic-inch V8 and dual exhausts.
We purchased the car over the Internet from a dealer in Wisconsin, and had it shipped to Naples, Fla., where we enjoyed it as snowbirds. Then the car came home with us to Ontario.
Now, I hope to get my driver’s licence — I am 80 years old — so I can take the Gran Turismo Hawk out for a spin myself.
Editor’s note: The last generation of Hawks was industrial designer Brooks Stevens’ redesign of the Studebaker line that started with the 1953 Starliner, whose crisp lines — “a beacon of restraint and elegance” — were drawn by the office of industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Show us your candy: Do you have a beautiful car? On our bucket-list: a frisky Falcon, a cookie-cutter Celebrity, a Willys Aero. Send us your words and pictures, especially welcome if you and yours are in them. Email wheels@thestar.ca and be sure to use “Eye Candy” in the subject line.