Introduction
The original 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk Authenticity Guide from 1996 was compiled with the
cooperation of members of the 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk Owners Register. Participating
members responded to questionnaires indicating the color, condition, texture, location, etc., of
items related to authenticity. The results were compiled and compared against other sources to
determine what is probably the most correct condition. Since that time, many new items have
come to light and are included in this new Guide.
Authenticity is a rather nebulous term as applied to Studebakers. During my research, I found
accessories which were not listed in any of the Studebaker literature for 1956 Golden Hawks.
Every effort has been made to research the items listed as thoroughly as possible. I placed more
significance on the Studebaker Chassis, Body, Shop Manuals, as well as magazine articles and
drive reports from the period when the cars were new, than on company brochures and
advertisements which often were printed before the cars actually went into production.
Even relying on magazines from the period was no safe bet. The April 1956 issue of Hot Rod
magazine shows a beautiful picture of the dashboard and steering wheel on page 54. However,
the horn button was from a 1955 model. As for company brochures, the one entitled
STUDEBAKER HAWKS, craftsmanship with a flair also shows a 1956 Golden Hawk dashboard
and steering wheel, however the steering wheel is black, instead of white.
Mine's Original. I have learned to be suspicious of any car described in this way. Decades have
passed, several changes of ownership have most likely occurred, and any number of body shop
visits can do wonders for a car's originality. Even cars that sat for many years probably had some
modification made during their early years. In many cases, the owner wasn’t even aware that a
change was done. One owner’s car had been in the family since new, but the owner wasn’t aware
that the car had a later model Hawk hood. The car had been in two accidents and the hood had
been replaced one time.
Another valuable source of information, although not totally accurate, was the original production
orders. I was able to obtain all 4073 production orders for 1956 Golden Hawks. Even those were
not completely accurate. Several cars were listed with Flight-O-Matic transmission, one showed
a radio from a full size sedan, while many others listed a prototype wheelcover which never saw
production.
There are a few items included here which some might perceive as nitpicking. They are only
presented to raise awareness and to show that there will always be questions, as well as
differences of opinion, when it comes to authenticity. Therefore, this Guide should be used to
provide support for those items which may be questioned. It is not intended as proof that
something on a particular car is or isn’t correct.
Hopefully, this Guide is as accurate and complete as possible, However, this effort is not the final
word. That is why I called it a guide rather than a handbook or manual. In many instances, there
won't be a definitive answer, but rather what appears to be the norm. Some deviations will also
be identified and you can be the judge.
Authenticity questions can sometimes get a little too complex. As an example, the AC-2799 Spoke
Type wheelcovers are a legitimate option for 1956 Golden Hawks. However, they were not
introduced until February of 1956. Would a 1956 Golden Hawk be considered authentic, if it
sported the Spoke Type wheelcovers, and was built before February, 1956?
Although there were no plans to publish revisions or updates to the original Guide, the information
we have uncovered over the past few decades caused me to revisit that philosophy, and offer a
new Guide. Virtually everything pertaining to the 1956 Golden Hawk is stored in the Studebaker
National Museum Archive in South Bend. Unfortunately logistics and finances prevented me from
accessing this data. However one South Bend area owner did some extensive research at the
Last Update - July 2, 2018
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