1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk
Ex Goodwood Revival, Ex Mille Miglia
Estimate: €65,000 - €85,000
Registration Number: 801 UYE
Chassis Number: 680.147
The car was assembled in the plant of Studebaker in Los Angeles, California in 1955 and was delivered on 20th December of that year. It is an early 1956-model GH series car number 215 of all Golden Hawks 1956 (total 4071) made. The Golden Hawk's elegant style was penned by the influential industrial designer, Raymond Loewy.
This Golden Hawk remained for 30 years in the possession of its first owner in Ohio, USA until it was bought by Tom Borders, of Dayton, Ohio. Tom Borders, who later on moved to Pineville, West Virginia, executed a frame-off restoration of the car which lasted from 1998 until 2002 and a number of his letters about his restoration are included in the car's history file. The car was carefully restored in its original two-tone colours of Mocha/Doeskin, one of the most popular combinations for the Golden Hawks. The car was finally purchased by Gene's Classics NJ, who sold it to Jan Dyck in Holland. Jan Dyck then used the car to successfully enter the Mille Miglia in 2012. The Golden Hawk 1956, fitted with Packard's powerful big-block 352 cubic inch 275 hp (5.8 litre) V8, was the best all-round, high performance car of 1956.
In 'Speed Age' magazine's track test (March 1956), the car was driven on a rain-soaked track by Bill Holland at lap speeds of over 120mph, proving the prowess of this sure-footed Studebaker coupe. Some feel that by installing the largest V8 in the smallest and lightest body, Studebaker created the first muscle car, some 8 years before the GTO. It had the second highest power-to-weight ratio of any American production car. Contemporary road tests verified the Golden Hawk was faster and quicker over the ¼ mile than the Corvette, Thunderbird and Chrysler 300B. In top speed, only the mighty Chrysler 300B could equal it.
The vendor purchased this car in April 2013 and adapted the car for historic race use, being exceptionally careful not to alter the car substantially, allowing it to be returned to original specification. The work was carried out by the noted Goodwood race preparation expert, Chris Snowdon, at his CS Racing outfit in Bosham, close to Goodwood itself. The vendor raced the car at the Goodwood Revival 2014 in the prestigious St. Mary's Trophy alongside F1 and Le Mans legend, Jochen Mass, who, when asked what he drove at The Revival in 2014 said: “A number of spectacular cars: A Cobra, a Mustang, a 300SL with gull wing doors and a Studebaker Gold Hawk: 'The Lead Swan', - just great!”.
Here we have probably the most versatile historic competition car that can be bought at any price. Historic cars that have proven provenance to qualify for events such as the Mille Miglia and Goodwood Revival usually run into the £1 million plus price bracket and far beyond. This remarkable car is offered at a fraction of such prices, which must make it the bargain purchase of the current market. How long will such cars remain so? Best to grab this one before market opinion catches up with it!
Hier haben wir das wohl vielseitigste historische Wettbewerbsauto, das zum beliebigen Preis gekauft werden kann. Solch historische Stücke, die sich für Events wie dem Mille Miglia und dem Goodwood Revival als qualifiziert erwiesen haben, steigen oft in die Million-Pfund-Preisgruppe und weit darüber hinaus. Dieses bemerkenswerte Auto wird nun zu einem Bruchteil eines solchen Preises angeboten, was es zu einem Schnäppchen auf dem heutigen Markt macht. Wie lange werden solche Autos derart vorhanden bleiben? Am besten ist es, sich diesen Wagen zu greifen, bevor der heutige Markt es aufgreift!
For further information or to arrange a viewing, please contact our sales department.
Auction:
Sat 8th August 2015 at 4:00pm
Viewing:
Friday 7th August from 10.00am to 7.00pm
Saturday 8th August from 10.00am
Location:
The Nürburgring
Nürburg
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