Finally, a beautiful morning for the Car Club

Bill and Carol Ruffulo’s 1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo/Hawk was chosen at the Car of the Month at the Canyon Lake Car Club’s monthly Cars and Coffee at Sierra Park Saturday.

After several months of rain, Saturday’s event was a big hit with a great turnout amid a picture-perfect day. Many gathered to show their cars and others were eager to hear the stories of the owners about the unique cars.

Bill and Carol purchased their Studebaker 43 years ago from the original owner, a cartoonist in Los Angeles. The 1964 Hawk is one of the last years Studebaker cars were produced in the United States.

Bill Ruffulo shows off he and his wife’s 1964 Studebaker Gran Turismo/Hawk after the car was chosen to be the Canyon Lake Car Club’s Car of the Month for April. Photo provided by Perry Beggs.

Bill and Carol boast how, except for the wire wheels, the car is totally stock and has only repainted once.

The Hawk is powered by a 289 cubic inch Studebaker engine and has an automatic transmission. The Studebaker brothers made Unique Buggies, Conestoga Wagons, and 49er Trail Wheel Barrows before getting into the car business with its first electric car in 1902. Bill and Carol get a lot of questions about the car at car shows, but the most common question is, “What is It?”

The monthly Cars and Coffee event meets at Sierra Park every second Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Attending and displaying cars at the event is open to all members of the community, not just club members.