One must admire the ad men of yore. Consider Detroit’s automotive landscape in the early Sixties, for instance, when a basic formula for a five-passenger car was a sturdy chassis, a road-smoothing suspension, a thrifty six-cylinder or capable V-8 engine, a comfortable interior, and an attractive body. Everyone in the industry checked each box, so claiming the lion’s share of the market came down to individual styling, creative engineering, and a talented wordsmith to woo buyers.
This was especially true of automakers like Studebaker, which had been reeling from a litany of missteps that are still endlessly debated. The South Bend-based company was determined, though, banking on one of its infrequent halo models to pull its bottom line back into the black.
Enter the ad men, who wrote, “Classic styling … timeless elegance… enhanced for ’63 in keeping with its traditional lasting beauty and a bold new approach to luxury and power! Elegant perfection in a magnificent European-type road car is yours in the Gran Turismo Hawk by Studebaker. The performance of the Thunderbolt V8 [sic] is quiet and responsive to your slightest wish. And the Hawk’s velvet-smooth ride, sure handling and steady going is contributed to by its
