Please Help With Hawk VIN Deciphering

[mkarns]

I have a '59 or '60 Hawk.

The VIN is: 60V39198.

Can anybody please help in deciphering as much information as is possible from this VIN?

Thanks so much,

M. Karns

[StudeRich]

Welcome to the SDC and to the SDC Forum Mark!

The "60V" indicates a 1960 Year Model Studebaker, no other info is available from the Serial Number without the Production Order from the Studebaker National Museum here: https://studebakermuseum.org/
From our SDC Main Page under "Resources".
More precisely, here is the actual PAGE: https://www.studebakermuseum.org/sto...duction-orders

The 39198 indicates the 39,198th. V8 1960 Year Model Studebaker CAR (ALL Models) that rolled off of the Line at the South Bend, Indiana USA Plant.

UPDATE: Thanks Mike Sal, you probably need to subtract 1000 from that number as if it really matters, the usual start in the 1960's was 1001. Apparently the owner only cares about knowing the year.

You have to understand that 1960 was WAY before 17 Digit "Vehicle Identification Numbers" (VIN's) were used, so Cars had "Serial Numbers" that later were used as VIN's, but say nothing about the actual "Build".

A 1959 Hawk would be called and Badged: "Silver Hawk", a '60 was just a "Hawk" but the Engine in U.S. Built '60's was upgraded to the 289 V8 with no option for the 6 Cylinder Engine or the 259 V8.

To find out if you have the Original Engine: The Engine Serial Number: (Driver's Side, TOP, Front Corner, of the Block, STAMPED INTO the Machined Flat Pad) should be Above the 1960 289 Starting number P70,501 and BEFORE P74,701 starting 1961 289 Engine S/N.

[StudeNewby]

That's as thorough an answer as I've ever seen concerning serial number/VIN decoding. Thanks, Rich!

[Mike Sal]

That car is not necessarily the 39,198th car.....beginning numbers for a model year rarely started with "001" (Example....'66 V8 cars began with C530001....note that only 8935 cars were built). I'm out of town & away from my files, so I don't know what they used in 1960.
Mike Sal

[mkarns]

Please-Help-With-Hawk-VIN-Deciphering&p

That car is not necessarily the 39,198th car.....beginning numbers for a model year rarely started with "001" (Example....'66 V8 cars began with C530001....note that only 8935 cars were built). I'm out of town & away from my files, so I don't know what they used in 1960.
Mike Sal

Thanks so much for the great input.

I received this car from my uncle when I turned 16 yrs. old.

My dad and I worked on it as I could pay for repairs "flipping burgers".

I drove it until 1979.

I was always told it was a '59 Hawk.

[Mike Sal]

Great story....my dad hated all orphan brand cars & couldn't understand why I would want to have & work on "old" cars....they were an indication of being poor in his eyes....my first car would have been a '52 champ when I was 16, but dad got wind of my intentions & put a halt to it....it would be 15 more years before I actually owned a Studebaker....
Mike Sal