1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk
Engine: Supercharged V-8
Displacement: 352 Cubic Inches
Horsepower: 275 BHP
Cost New: $3,061
         Packard purchased Studebaker in 1954, but the two companies had missed the chance to join Hudson and Nash in the new American Motors Corporation. The new Studebaker-Packard Corporation was in trouble and needed some fresh ideas. The 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk was one of the more interesting results of the merger. Designed by Raymond Loewy, who also helped to design the "Bullet-Nose" Studebaker, from his cutting-edge Champion/Commander Starliner, the new Golden Hawk was given the very powerful Packard 352 CID engine.
         With additions of fiberglass fins on the fenders and a newly designed dashboard, the Golden Hawk was the top of the line for Studebaker. The Packard engine produced a lot of power and torque, but was very heavy. This led to what some said was the real problem with the cars: poor handling. While they could easily reach 130 MPH, the cars suffered in turns and had traction issues on acceleration.
         Studebaker offered four different Hawk varieties in 1956, from the low-end Flight Hawk through the mid-range Power Hawk and Sky Hawk, to the top-of-the-line Golden Hawk.