Classic Studebaker receives a modern boost
Tests written up in the July 1956 issue of Speed Age magazine determined the Studebaker Golden Hawk could outperform the Chrysler 300B, Ford Thunderbird and Corvette in the zero-to-60miles-per-hour time trials at a blistering 7.8 seconds. The low-slung Golden Hawk was capable of top speeds exceeding 125 miles an hour.
This was heavy-duty mechanic Ken Gurney’s dream car from his teenage years. In 2001, his wife Eleanor Swan began to look for one of these rare cars for her husband to restore.
When a 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk turned up for sale in Bellingham, Wash., the couple took close friend and car restorer Lloyd Bingley with them to have a look.
Although the car had spent most of its life in Madeira, Calif., it had some rust issues and was in need of a full restoration.
The story was the car was bought new by a woman whose husband told her she could have any car in the dealership. The choice came down to a Mercedes 300SL gull wing and the Studebaker Golden Hawk. At some point, and after tiring of paying his wife’s speeding tickets, the husband took the supercharger off the car. She drove the car for 11 years before retiring it from the road.
Fortunately, the original 289-cubic-inch V-8 engine was still in the car, with the factory-installed McCulloch Paxton supercharger stored safely in the trunk. The purchase was made and the car was transported home to B.C.’s Sunshine Coast.
Gurney did all the “yucky stuff” in a private bay at his tire shop in Gibsons, B.C., by completely disassembling the car before he got sidetracked in 2004 by the rebuilding of the couple’s home.
That job done, Gurney and Swan took their acquisition to B&S Hot Rods in Gibsons, B.C., for a complete rehab with some significant modification. “They had room for one more car for the winter build season,” Gurney says of the professional work that began on the car in November 2011.
The frame-up restoration was a team effort with Gurney helping to design the finished car with shop craftsmen Lloyd Bingley and Brian Swanson.
The concept was to improve the car to modern standards while being faithful to the original design and look of the Golden Hawk. The changes are subtle, but make this into a world-class custom car.
The custom interior was crafted by Phil Lowe of Sun Dog Upholstery. Being a Golden Hawk, the colours were carefully chosen as Firebird Gold and a soft white from a Cadillac Escalade.
“The gold was a mistake that turned out better than anyone expected,” Gurney notes.
Custom features include modern air conditioning, rack-and-pinion power steering and disc brakes, Billet Tilt steering column with a custom Con2R wheel, a full digital gauge package with custom hawk emblems, along with backup sensors in the rear bumper. The engine sound comes through a custom dual exhaust system using stainless steel tunable Super Trapps with Avanti ceramic-coated cast headers.
A contemporary sound system mounted in the trunk along with the repositioned battery delivers the tunes.
Among the most subtle modifications are LED lights incorporated into the headlights and the fins that are a Golden Hawk trademark. There is also LED lighting in the wheel wells and under the car for night access convenience.
The engine compartment has been brightened with chrome engine rocker covers and a polished supercharger bonnet. But it’s the interior that really makes this Golden Hawk a showpiece.
“We wanted a jet fighter look for the interior, which includes four bucket seats,” Gurney says.
The seats are divided with a full custom-built console that runs from front to back and Golden Hawk emblems are recessed into the back rests of all four seats.
Plans are for Gurney and Swan to enjoy their new and improved Golden Hawk for years to come. It’s one of North America’s first muscle cars that has now been brought completely up to date.