Last South Bend Lark-types and Hawks built on this date

[Bill Pressler]

That gorgeous red Daytona in the SNM was built on this date. I remember when looking at production orders myself, that the four cars before were identical silver Challenger Wagonaires, fixed roof I think, that were headed to the GSA in D.C. Before that was the white Hawk with blue interior and overdrive bought new by the late John Griggs.

As the Madd Doodler said on my Facebook page, 'antenna flags should be flown at half-staff today'!

I've mentioned this before, but I wore a SNM sweatshirt to a nearby Friday's restaurant a few years back, and a distinguished looking older gentleman approached me and told me he worked for the NBC affiliate in South Bend after graduating from Notre Dame, and that he had snuck into the plant on the last day with a spy camera (as he called it) loaned to the South Bend affiliate by the Chicago NBC affiliate, and took footage of the last car coming down the line which was used on Chet Huntley's national broadcast that night. He said he grew a two or three-day beard and paid a guy ten bucks for his employee badge coming out of the plant one day, and on that last morning just walked in with the throng.

I believe him, as he wasn't really a car buff and I had previously heard and read that that did indeed happen that day.

It's worth wearing Studebaker shirts out and about!

[HAWK64]

Bill,
You have remnded me that my Hawk 64V 19121 had its final assy date just a few days ago on the 16th Dec 1963 at South Bend making it over 49 years old now. I do recall one of the other 5 GTs that came to Melbourne in that group was assembled on the 20 Dec.

[Randy Ridenour]

My 64 GT Hawk (64V 19065) was also built on December 16th. My dad ordered the car so it was destined to stay stateside.