THIS 1957 STUDEBAKER GOLDEN HAWK CUSTOM ROADSTER IS A 1:1-SCALE HOT WHEELS CAR.
Did you know there are car builders out there who have built some real-life Hot Wheels cars? I mean yeah, Hot Wheels makes cars based on real-life cars, but we’re talking about the cars that have weird designs and over-the-top styling - ones that you look at on the shelf at your local stockist and think: “Na, I don’t want that car, it’s not a real car”. Some of these mad cars are actually based on real builds, but they works in reverse too. We’ve seen a legit Hot Wheels car on the shelf that appealed to someone so much, that it spurred them on to create a real-life version of the car. The other side of that coin is that someone out there has a mad idea and creates a whacky but amazing build that gets so much attention that the chaps at Hot Wheels take notice and create a collectable 1:64 scale version. This 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk is one of these cars, it’s seen such an amazing rebuild and redesign that it’s no longer recognisable as the base car that gives it a name. The Golden Hawk is one of those left-field classic cars that you either love or hate, and here at SXdrv we do like it, There’s actually a pair of them that we see cruising through the neighbourhood on the odd occasion. We love the long rear fins, it’s a design feature that modern cars are missing. The modified Golden Hawk you see here is now a lot shorter, has a serious rake to the profile, loses a whole lot of bodywork, relegates the roof to the scrap pile and features some of the most interesting wheel arches imaginable. The redesign of the front is just as extensive, and it’s the one part of the car that we don’t like, but that’s because we have an OCD-like obsession with things that are symmetrical - and symmetrical this car is not. The centre line of the nose has been moved to the side, and the extended space on the front left is now home to a pair of headlights. On the left, off-centre. Just no. You’ll notice that the shorter right side of the new nose has an outline in it - well that’s where another pair of headlights are housed, a flick of the switch rotates the outline yiou can see to reveal more lights. It’s done well and it’s quite clever, but ODC says no.
This 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk, modified over the course of 17 years and completed in 2019, is a remarkable custom build that has garnered significant acclaim. The body was meticulously altered using steel panels from various production vehicles and was finished in House of Kolor Sunrise Pearl paint. The car was used by Microsoft as a model for the Forza Horizon 4 video game as part of the Hot Wheels Legends car pack - which is why you likely recognise it. The custom Hawk won first-in-class awards at the 2019 and 2020 Detroit Autorama, was a Gene Winfield “Select Six” contender at the 2019 Syracuse Nationals in New York, a Fine Nine contender, and won Darryl Starbird’s Personal Choice award at the 2020 Darryl Starbird National Rod & Custom car show. Additionally, it received the Judge’s Pick award at the 2021 Eyes on Design Concours d’Elegance in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, and was featured in the SEMA Battle of the Builders. Under the hood is a modular 4.6-litre quad-cam Ford aluminium V8 mated to a C4 3-speed automatic transmission. The car features independent front and rear suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes with slotted cross-drilled rotors, Wilwood 6-piston calipers in front and inboard cross-drilled units at the rear, and power-assisted rack and pinion steering. It rides on 20x8 Weld Evo wheels and Nitto tyres with custom gold stripes. The interior is outfitted with black leather and cloth upholstery, custom Corbeau fixed-back bucket seats, colour-coordinated trim panels and carpeting, a custom centre console, Nardi steering wheel, Ididit steering column, RJS lap harnesses, and refurbished Studebaker instrumentation. The body includes a Studebaker cowl, windshield, and door frames, a 1960 Pontiac nose section and door skins, a 1959 Ford Thunderbird hood, rear sheet metal from a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair, and a 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado right-side headlight door. It features Harley-Davidson-sourced headlights, 1965 Shelby Mustang side mirrors, modified Lincoln Continental Mark VIII tail lights, and a 1988 Audi sunroof grafted into the rear deck. The car's performance is enhanced with a Holley Street Demon carburettor, a powder-coated Edelbrock intake manifold, a Griffin aluminium radiator with an electric fan, a Ron Francis wiring kit, MSD ignition components, a Rock Valley stainless steel 15-gallon fuel tank, and lastly, Sanderson headers linked to a side exhaust system. The build is documented with a build book, photos, parts records, and assorted literature. We’re not sure how much the car will fetch at the upcoming Mecum Auctions event in Harrisburg towards the end of July, but it has to fetch good money looking at the storied history of the car.
Take a look at the YouTube video that was created in the virtual world, but does a proper job of showing off this insane life-size Hot Wheels car that was created to be used in Forza Horizon 4, but still exists in real life as an actual driveable car: Hot Wheels Studebaker Golden Hawk "Dream Roadster" | 1957 | Forza Horizon 4 | bL!NE
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News SXdrv Game Car Forza Forza Horizon 4 Hot Wheels Custom Roadster Golden Hawk Studebaker