This month I am featuring my 1963 Gran Turismo Hawk that I purchased in June 2022 from Leland W. Smith Jr. of Wirtz, Virginia. Leland owned the Hawk for over 33 years having acquired it in May of 1989. It is an older resoration with body and other work by Ray-Lin Restoration of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and engine work by Ingvar Vik. It has a three speed manual shift with overdrive, power steering, factory air conditioning, push-button AM radio, in-dash tachometer and clack, and a hill holder. The air conditioning has beem modernized to include a Sanden compressor. It has been repainted in its original color of Ermine White. It also has the chrome enine dress-up kit. The Hawk joins my 1964 Challenger Wagonaire and 1964 Daytona Sedan in my hobby car garage.

The tires had little wear but were 18 years old and I replaced them shortly after I acquired the car. The car came with nonstock six inch steel rims so I opted for P205/75R15 Uniroyal Tiger Paw narrow whitewall radials and metal valve stems. The metal valve stems keep the full wheel covers from shifting on the nonstock wheels. I also installed a new grille shell and mesh that came with the car and was able to acquire an original unused tri-color front grille emblem to go along with the new grille. Other early changes included removing an aftermarket third brake light, replacing the radio antenna with one that is fully retractable, and replacing the satin finish wiper blades with Trico bright stainless steel blades.

The Hawk rerceived several upgrades while garaged over the winter. The worn interior sun visors were redone by Loga Enterprises and reinstalled with new ball ends and retainers. The faded and scratched faux wood radio surround and glove box door were replaced with the aluminum style pieces used on 1962 and early 1963 GT Hawks. The NOS glove box door was purchased from Stephen Allen's and the matching used radio surround was purchased on eBay. The worn steering wheel was replaced with a restored steering wheel purchased at Reedville. In addition, an AC 2409 accessory fuel door guard, the early type with the vertical sail, was added. The fuel door guard also came from Stephen Allen's.

When the car was restored hood stiffeners from Classic Enterprises were installed and the dovetail that goes into the hood latch was drilled to accept a hitch pin. These thoughtful modifications protect the corners of the hood and prevent the hood from opening or worse flying up while driving. Paperwork that came with the car indicates that it has the factory steering linkage shock absorber kit for 1962-64 Hawks with power steering installed. It also has PerTonix electronic ignition. The production order indicates a final assembly date of Vovember 15, 1962. I have enjoyed tweaking what was already a very nice car. I have had it to two car shows so far in 2023 and it has take trophies at both shows.

If you own or once owned a Studebaker or related vehicle and would like to see your car as "Stude of the Month" or in the "Cool Studes" section, or if you have other pictures or material that you would like to contribute to this page, please e-mail me here at wj2d44@gmail.com. I can accept either electronic or hard copy images. The Main Page is issued every other month so the next edition will be August 2023.

All of the previous editions of the Main Page going back to October 1995 have been reposted. In the process of reposting the pages, I have made corrections and revisions as needed, and in some cases added material that was not used when a page was first posted due to download speed and file storage limitations. A complete list of Main Pages and Studes of the Month with links to each is located here.

If you have a particular interest in Bullet Nose Studebakers, visit Bill Junge's Bullet Nose Paradise which is dedicated to the 1950 and 1951 Bullet Nose models.

This cool Custom 1955 Studebaker Commander Conestoga Two-Soor Station Wagon is owned by John Donato of Calloway, Maryland. The wraparound windshield gives it away as a late 1955 even though it has 1954 style front grilles and hood. The C pillar has been removed thus opening up the rear window area. John's Conestoga is powered by a 355 cubic inch Chevrolet V8. The interior features bucket seats and a center console. It sits on modern alloy wheels with blackwall radial tires.

The pictures above were posted to the Studebaker Station Wagon Owners and Fans group on Facebook. The group covers all years of Studebaker station wagons both stock and modified. It is a public group so anyone can visit the group and to view its contents. The group has over 3,100 members and hundreds of posts. The posts include numerous pictures, original print ads, video links, and other materials all related to Studebaker station wagons.

Thanks to John Donato for the pictures and information on his cool ride.

The 1957 Packard Clipper Town Sedan on the left is owned by Lee Carpenter of Williston, Vermont and the 1957 Packard Clipper Country Sedan (station wagon) on the right is owned by Chip Dayton of Cheshire, Connecticut. The Town Sedan is a completly original car while the Country Sedan is a beautifully restored car.

The 1957 Packard Clippers came out in January 1957 so they were late to market. The standard engine was the supercharged 289 cubic inch V8 rated at 275 horsepower as used in the Golden Hawk. Most had automatic transmission but three speed manual with overdrive was available as a no cost option. Production of 1957 Packard Clippers totaled 4,809 of which 869 were station wagons.

The pictures are from the May 2023 Northeast Atlantic Studebaker Zone Meet in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. The meet was sponsored by the Nutmeg Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club.

Dan Armstrong from Mansfield, Texas has created a number of crossword puzzles and games for car nuts. Dan has a strong interest in Studebakers, particularly the 1956 Sky Hawk, the performance equipped 1963 Lark Daytona, and the performance equipped 1963 and 1964 GT Hawks. The Studebaker crosswords are copyright by Dan Armstrong and are used with his permission. Thanks to Dan for providing the downloadable Studebaker crossword puzzles for readers of this page to enjoy.

The Hot Wheels 1963 Studebaker Champ Pickup has recently appeared in a new variation that so far is only available in multi packs. It is a teal colored racing truck similiar to the black 2022 Hot Trucks issue that was featured as Stude Toy of the Month on this page in June 2022 The new variation has similiar graphics to the 2022 issue but does not have the racing stripe on the hood and roof. The interior and bed cover on the latest variation are black rather than red.

The Hot Wheels Champ first appeared in the 2011 New Models Series in red as featured in June 2011. Later that year it was issued in metallic aqua and in yellow. All three of the 2011 issues had "Goodyear Eagle" lettering on the tires. It reappeared in 2015 in the HW Workshop Series in blue with flames on the sides. Several more expensive versions have also been issued including Nostalgic Brands Hershey's Whatchamacallit, Boulevard Legends, and Pop Culture DC Comics The Joker.

The 2016 Hot Wheels Red Line Club Collectors Special Edition in metallic red and black in a plastic display case and special packaging cost RLC members $19.95 when issued. This version has steadily increased in value and has become a hot item on eBay. The Hot Wheels Champ was Number 10 of 10 in the 2019 Walmart exclusive series of American pickup trucks. This version was featured in June 2019. The Champ was also included in the premium Vintage Oil Series.

This 1:43 scale Milestone Miniatures 43rd Avenue Collection 1951 Studebaker Commander Business Coupe is a recent addition to my collection. It is a white metal model made in England. It comes packed in a colorful box with foam padding inside. The model has clear plastic windows all around, bright metal rear fender stone guards, and bright metal spears on top of the front fenders. Details such as the door handles and windshield wipers are part of the casting and painted. It is a heavy model weighing just under 12 ounces. The model number "AA3" is cast into the base along with other identifying information. Here is view underneath the model.

By 1951 Champion and Commander Business Coupes used the same bodies on the same wheelbase. The Milestone Miniatures 1951 Studebaker Business Coupe also comes as a Champion with lower trim. Here is a picture both the Champion and Commander versions. Milestone Miniatures also issued a 1940 Champion Sedan in several variations as part of the 43rd Avenue Collection. The models are similar to Brooklin models and use similar packaging but as far as I know there is no connection with Brooklin. Milestone Miniatures ceased production in 2008.

More toy Studes can be found in the Stude Stuff area of this page and on my Studebaker Toys Home Page.

Click here for information on ordering hard to find Studebaker toys made by manufacturers such as Johnny Lightning, Racing Champions, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Muscle Machines, Maisto, and EKO.

Jim Geary's book Studebaker Toy Treasures is the standard reference for collectors of Studebaker Toys. This wonderful book has 294 pages of color pictures and details on hundreds of Studebaker toys. Publication date is 2004 and just about every Studebaker toy and model produced up to that time is pictured and cataloged. Jim is making the book available for $25 plus $14 for shipping. Jim will sign the book if requested. It also comes with a CD of more toys than what is in the book. This is a must for the serious Studebaker toy vehicle collector. Jim can be contacted at sanjim76@live.com or send payment to Jim Geary, 181 Allendale Hills Road, Franklin, NC 28734.