In 1972, I was 12 years old and had been introduced to Studebakers by my brother, who had been sold a 1963 Cruiser by his PE teacher ,who was an SDC member. I even loaned him money to do it. I was enamored from the beginning. I bought him the membership, $7 I think, and thus began my love of Studebakers. I was always on the look out to spot another, and back then, that was not uncommon, to find them in various places here in central Illinois. But this post is about one in particular. Every so often a man would come back to our town from Pekin,Illinois to visit his brother, a white GT Hawk, pretty sure it was a 1963, always appeared to be in very good condition. By 1974-1975, I was a boy scout helping on a regular basis to haul our recycle paper collections in to pekin, to coincidentally to a place right across from the old Studebaker dealership ,which had been Beres Studebaker. One morning as we where hauling in ,I spotted in a body shop across from the dealership{now selling Peugeot} a white GT with the hood up. Of course I insisted we stop. Upon closer inspection, I was amazed to find,,,,1963 GT Hawk...R-2....power shift....with 12500 miles on it...I remember thinking, just out of warranty and there on the dash was a plaque....Especially made for Adolf Keys....the same car I had admired from afar all those years. I was told he had traded the car back in to Beres ,on a new Peugeot, and that it had been sold already to someone in the Indianapolis area for $5000. It was in the shop for some minor paint touch up. So my question is, does any one know the where abouts of this car? Just would like to know if my memory is right and if it survived well. Amazing years later when coming home after having one of my daughters born, we stopped at a Garage sale only to find an Original owner 1956 Golden Hawk from the same dealership, AH those were the days....then there was the 1964 Avanti with 15000 miles! I like to think of them as the good old days.
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I remember a similar car in the Peoria/Pekin area from a slightly earlier time. It was white with a black vinyl top and used to cruise the Peoria Steak and Shake on Main Street in the mid to late sixties. It had to be a '64 however. Of all the cars that cruised through it was the prettiest (a '57 Plymouth Fury was a close second). In any event I did visit the Beres dealership in Pekin during the early 70's but I was into early pre WWII cars and they did not sign their franchise until quite late so was never able to get any parts from them. Great memories from 40 years ago.Last edited by Studebaker Wheel; 12-20-2010, 03:49 PM.Richard Quinn
Editor emeritus: Antique Studebaker Review -
Phooey, Lark 63. I would like to assist by recalling a white/black sports roof 1964 R2/Powershift GT Hawk that appeared in Indianapolis or central Indiana in the mid-1970s, but cannot recall one, or any extant now in this area. As you may know, that color combination was the "brochure color car" in 1964, so a fair number were painted and trimmed in that color combination, like solid gold 1957 Golden Hawks with white fins. (I am integrating Dick Quinn's follow-up in my response.)
I would hope a 12,500-mile 1964 would have been set aside here in the mid-1970s and not used up, so if one ever surfaces, I'll try to remember this.
Dan "Ivorydan" McKeon; do you remember such a car from that time period? BP
We've got to quit saying, "How stupid can you be?" Too many people are taking it as a challenge. 
G. K. Chesterton: This triangle of truisms, of father, mother, and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.Comment
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Great story, Lark 63. I truly love those "Whatever happened to...." stories. But have you ever heard of PARAGRAPHS?
JohnComment
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Bells Studebaker Diner & Museum
Bellingham, WA.Comment
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Myles Walker's car comes to mind.
CraigComment
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Yes, Myles Walker had a 1964 GT #64V1085 and was in Turning Wheels 5/97.Originally posted by 8E45E View PostMyles Walker's car comes to mind.
Craig
It was a factory show car for the New York Auto Show.
It was a in the Crawford Museum in Cleveland and was one of the cars they sold last fall at Hershey RM Auction.
The thread topic 1963 White R2 Hawk with power shift could be narrowed down easily by knowing the color interior, or if it had bucket seats.
Only 2 out of the 6 with that combo had bucket seats (the other 4 were bench seats!), so if Lark63 remembers bucket seats, it very likely may be #23972, or #31103.
Knowing the interior color, or wheels, could identify which one it was.
Amazing Lark63, that you have such a good memory of the car you had seen so long ago!
James BellBells Studebaker Diner & Museum
Bellingham, WA.Comment
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