62 GT Hawk R1?

[JAGXK120]

I was the owner of what I thought was an original 1962 Hawk GT R1 with TT,T10 4spd,tinted glass,hillholder,tach,etc. The only thing it did not have was AC, Ithink. I just went bouncing around the net for Stude specs(horsepower and weight, stock) and saw R1's listed for 63,64 only. I rebuilt the engine and transmission myself(in the field many years) with a factory workshop manual and Lester's advice. Les saw the car shortly after I got it to my shop, and identified the motor as a R1. I saw the engine #'s also. It was fitted with R1 parts (pistons,cam with aluminum timing gear, dist.,carb.) Was there a R1 in 62 or could this engine been fitted at the original owners request after the car was a couple of years old? The body plate on the doorpost was "62V" Just curious. Would love to find a nice 63 this spring/summer.(disc brakes)Probably very hard to find (4spd,TT,discs). Prices? Thanks Oh yeah, Les is in Penn. for the meet.

john r scott

[studegary]

R1 engines were introduced for the 1963 model year and only available in 1963 and 1964 Studebakers. An R1 could have been exchanged for any '51-'64 Studebaker V8 at a time after the '63s came out. The engine number on the block would tell the real story. Maybe your car had the standard 289 cubic inch V8 for '62 that was later rebuilt using R1 parts. John P. just sold the highest scoring, at last year's SDC International Meet, '63 Gran Turismo for $30K, but that is the exception. Very nice cars are in the $10K - $15K range. Your ID intriques me. I can remember trying out a 120M that I was considering buying in about 1958 - 1959. It was at Jocko's (the racer) dealership. There were 4634 '63 Hawks sold and 1772 '64 Hawks sold. They have a high survivability rate, especially the '64s. Of course, they all won't have the equipment that you want or be in the condition that you want. I would go for condition first. Equipment (engine, transmission, A/C, etc.) can be changed, but of course, then the car will not be build sheet correct (if that is important to you).

[JAGXK120]

Gary, thank you for the info. Lester Schmidt checked out all the details on my 62 GT Hawk and the motor was definetly a RI. It was confirmed when I pulled the motor and disasembled it.(timing gear, cam, distibutor,pistons,head gaskets,carb,etc.)My background was as a British sports car mechanic and later shop owner.I drove nothing but British sports daily up untill moving from San Diego to Boston.Yes I am a masochist.I also became very involved in SCCA sports car racing.All of the cars were pre 1968 with two exceptions. This was when they were still good.(Boy am I gonna get flamed for that last sentence)There were a lot of tricks to make them reliable and you had to make comprimises.My first car was a 1951 JAGUAR Mark 7 sedan. My father bought it in Montreal in 1954. He did not have the time to maintain it and foolihly parked it in the backyard for 10 years. This was not good for it and my mother wanted him to get rid of the eyesore. He could not sellit (motor seized) and could not have it hauled away. The tires were gone and the wheels wre rusted on solid. Also the brakes were frozen/corroded full on.He said if I could get it in to the garage I could have it.Condition: I had to fix it, if I just let it sit it would be towed to the junkyard.With a rented oxy acet set up and the help of alot of friends I managed to move it into the garage. I waS 14. Took 3 years to get her done.My next car was a very rusty 1953 XK120MC .I was hooked. Nothing came easy.A lot of cars later I still love them.There will always be an england,Studebakers, and most importantly the people that go with them. Thanks for being curious about the handle.

john r scott