Solved: 357. by Allemano - Hawker Special V8

[Allemano]

Any clues what this is?

[pnegyesi]

I think this one is not so easy, so we start from the Expert section.

Who built this and why is it so Special? A point awaits you

[Allemano]

Merged!

Sorry pnegyesi, now it has to start from the rookies first..

Will promote it soon! 

[Allemano]

okay let's start from here!

[pnegyesi]

Okay, I deleted my answer. I hope not too many people saw it

[Allemano]

Deleted mine as well!

[white12]

It is a an australian special named Hawker Special V8. It was built by Jim Hawker between 1938 and 1962. It was on sale in bonhams&goodman and this is its story:

1938 Hawker V8 Special
Registration No. Unregistered
Chassis No. N/A
Engine No. 76VK330

This unique Hawker V8 is believed to be the first mid-engined car produced in Australia. This individual machine resulted from many years work by Jim Hawker, foundry superintendent at Russell Manufacturing and it has a longer and more complicated history than most of its kind.
In its day the Hawker was one of the least conventional of cars, having its engine located almost exactly amidships. This was originally a sidevalve Ford V8, with the clutch and gearbox at the rear, opposite to a rear-engined arrangement but giving almost exactly equal front/rear weight distribution. This is one factor contributing to the Hawker's exceptional road holding and cornering capabilities. Another is the suspension, which differs from other all-independent systems in preserving constant camber on both front and rear wheels regardless of spring movement. All four wheels move vertically on tubular slides, two per wheel, against coil springs and hydraulic shock absorbers, and no geometry changes occur from full bump to full bounce. The chassis incorporates large tubular side-members, giving great rigidity, while the two-seater body's boot space is arranged behind the engine and above the transmission/differential. Access to the engine is through removable side panels.
Jim started work on the car in 1938, in conjunction with Bob Chamberlain, then a noted racing driver and innovative designer, who later manufactured tractors in West Australia. Originally it was intended to place the engine across the frame, but when Jim took over the interrupted project after WW2 he adopted the present layout, changing the body design from racing to sports car. Construction took many years, for the car was built entirely - panel-beating and body included - by Jim and his brother Alan, who owned a country garage with well equipped workshop and body repair department in Leongatha, Victoria. Altogether it is estimated that the Hawker cost about £3,000 ($6,000) and took 2,000 hours to build. Only the engine and transmission were 'bought-in'.
Work was finally completed in 1962 when the Hawker featured in the Melbourne 'Age' and the Repco house magazine, 'Repco Record'. It has also featured in the Clymer publication, 'Hot Rods and Specials of the World'. The car weighs approximately 27cwt, the construction of 'one-offs' ruling out many of the weight-saving techniques available to volume producers. Its weight distribution enables the V8's torque to be fully used in acceleration without wheelspin, while plenty of rear-wheel loading permits the use of decent-sized brakes at the rear, giving exceptional stopping power. In Ford-V8-engined form the car was timed at a genuine 100mph (approximately 160km/h). In pursuit of even greater performance a Studebaker Avanti V8 motor was fitted in the early 1960s.
The Hawker was purchased in February 1985 from Terry Healy, of First Auto Wholesalers in Melbourne, for display at the York Motor Museum. Mr Healy had in turn purchased it from Bill McManus of MRC Motors, 421 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Victoria who was acting on behalf of Alan and Jim Hawker. Freelance journalist Geoffrey Bewley wrote an extensive article on the vehicle in 'Wheels' magazine (December 1986 edition)

[Allemano]

Well done!

[Doc]

A friend who collects Studebakers saw this car at a museum in Australia many years ago, and it has a Studebaker Avanti Supercharged V8 engine. He said there are other Studebaker parts including the V8 "nose" emblem from the 1953-54 Studebakers, and the center grill from an early Studebaker Lark. He said the "Hawker" side emblems were re-cast from the Studebaker "Hawk" emblems with the "er" added. The VIII emblem identifying it as a V8 is also a Studebaker emblem. He heard the car was owned by the owner of a Studebaker dealership in the mid 1960s. I am including a front photo of the car.