Packard Hawk
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The Packard Hawk was one of a range of four models of automobile produced in the final year of Packard production, 1958. Packard's plant in Utica, Michigan had been leased to Curtiss-Wright (and would be soon sold to them), and Packard models in this dying-gasp year were rebadged and retrimmed Studebaker products. The Packard Hawk was essentially Studebaker's Golden Hawk slightly reshaped and repackaged.
Instead of the Studebaker's large, almost upright grille, the Packard Hawk had a wide, low 'fishmouth' opening just above the front bumper and covering the whole width of the car. Above this, a smoothly sloping nose, and hood--reminiscent of the 1953 Studebakers, but with a bulge as on the Golden Hawk--accommodated the engine's McCulloch supercharger that gave the Studebaker 289 in³ (4.7 L) V8 a total of 275 bhp (205 kW). At the rear, the sides of the fins were coated in metallized PET film, giving them a shiny metallic gold appearance. A fake spare-tire bulge adorned the trunk lid. 'PACKARD' was spelled out in capitals across the nose, with a gold 'Packard' emblem in script--along with a Hawk badge--on the trunk lid and fins.
The interior was full leather, with a fully instrumented dash. As on early aircraft, padded armrests were mounted outside the windows, a rare touch.
The styling could definitely be considered controversial, often described as 'vacuum-cleaner' by some reviewers. Only 558 were sold, with Packard's impending demise a likely contributing factor. It was certainly the fastest Packard ever sold, since it shared the majority of its components with Studebaker's Golden Hawk. The price was $3995, about $700 higher than the Studebaker model, but with a more luxurious interior.
Its rarity and status as the best-regarded of the 'Packardbaker' final-year cars have made the Packard Hawk quite collectible. Values are roughly double those of the equivalent Studebaker, although they are low by comparison with better-known makes. Because a Studebaker drivetrain was used, mechanical parts are more readily available, although body and trim parts are more difficult to obtain.
ENGINE
Type Cast iron 90° V8, Silver Light dish-type pistons
Displacement 289 cubic inches
Bore X stroke 3.56 X 3.63 inches
Compression ratio 7.5:1
Horsepower @ rpm 275 @ 4,800
Torque @ rpm 333 @ 3,200
Valvetrain In-head valves, solid lifters
Main bearings 5
Ignition Delco-Remy breaker-point
Fuel system 2-bbl Stromberg 380475 downdraft carburetor, McCulloch supercharger, 5 p.s.i. max
Lubrication system Full-pressure, gear-driven
Electrical system 2-volt, 30 amps
Exhaust system Cast iron, dual exhaust
TRANSMISSION
Type Borg-Warner Flightomatic automatic
Ratios: 1st2.40:1
2nd 1.47:1
3rd 1.0:1
Reverse 2.0:1
DIFFERENTIAL
Type Semi-floating hypoid, Twin-Traction Spicer-Thornton limited slip
Ratio 3.31:1
STEERING
Type Power assist, Saginaw recirculating ball
Ratio 19.2:1
Turns, lock-to-lock 4.5
Turning circle 41 feet
BRAKES
Type Four wheel, power-assist Wagner hydraulic
Front Cast-iron finned drum, 11 X 2.5 inches
Rear Cast-iron drum, 10 X 2 inches
Swept area 172.8 square inches
CHASSIS & BODY
Construction All-steel, box section, double-drop side rails, 5 crossmembers
Body style Two-door, five passenger hardtop
Layout Front engine, rear-wheel drive
SUSPENSION
Front Individual unequal-length upper and lower control arms, coil springs, hydraulic shocks, anti-sway bar
Rear Live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, hydraulic shocks
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels Kelsey-Hays tubeless 5-lug stamped steel
Front/rear 5.5 X 14 inches
Tires Classica bias-ply
Front/rear 8.00 X 14 inches
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Wheelbase 120.5 inches
Overall length 205.2 inches
Overall width 71.3 inches
Overall height 54.6 inches
Front track 56.7 inches
Rear track 55.7 inches
Shipping weight 3,470 pounds
CAPACITIES
Crankcase 5 quarts
Cooling system 17 quarts
Fuel tank 18 gallons
Transmission 19 pints
CALCULATED DATA
Bhp per c.i.d. 1.06
Weight per bhp 12.62 pounds
Weight per c.i.d. 11.88 pounds
PERFORMANCE
12.0 seconds
¼ mile ET 16.7 seconds @ 82.3 mph
Top speed 125 mph
Fuel mileage 12 mpg city, 20 mpg highway
PRODUCTION
1958 Packard Hawk 588
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| Studebaker-Packard Hawk series | |
| (edit) | |
| Studebaker: | Golden Hawk - Sky Hawk - Power Hawk - Flight Hawk - Silver Hawk - Hawk - GT Hawk |
| Packard: | Hawk |
 1899-1958 Category (edit) |
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| Cars: | Packard 200 | Packard 300 | Packard Caribbean | Packard Cavalier | Packard Clipper | Packard Clipper Constellation | Packard Eight | Packard Light Eight | Packard Super Eight | Packard Executive | Packard Four Hundred | Packard Hawk | Packard One-Eighty | Packard One-Ten | Packard One-Twenty | Packard Patrician | Packard Six | Packard Twin Six/Twelve | Packard Station Sedan | Studebaker based Packards |
| Corporate: | Clipper | Packard | Studebaker-Packard Corporation| Ultramatic | Packard Panther | Packard Request |
| People: | Howard Darrin | James J. Nance | James Ward Packard | William Dowd Packard. |
