chuckfmtexas Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 (edited) A friend sent me a text last week while he was at a swap meet and found the Buick Hawk below and was I interested in buying it. I said yes and now it is mine. I am guessing it is some sort of dealer service award as there was evidence of adhesive along the front as if there was signage, plaque etc. Nice walnut base and the letters and hawk are in excellent condition. I played with it in front of the 1932 Buick Anybody have a guess about its purpose or age? Edited April 20, 2017 by chuckfmtexas (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jscheib Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Chuck, We all know the '32s were meant to fly like a Hawk. I too am curious, as I have not seen one. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Phillips Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Chuck, Mid-to late-1970s Buick sales catalogues are full of the hawk insignia/trademark/whatever you call it. I interviewed the photographer a few years ago, who took the hawk photographs for the sales catalogues in the 1970s. Early 1980s Buick brochures also use it. Pete 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booreatta Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 I have one just like it and it has a pewter plaque attached and it for for 100% accomplishment from the spring of 1976. The one I have was from Fiore Buick I have had it for years and that is the only one I have ever seen 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 My daughter had an 84 Buick Skyhawk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 The hawk emblem and logo were used from about 1980 to 1985. It may have risen in the corporate ranks when the Oldsmobile salesmen told buyers a Skylark was a wimpy bird. I know Olds salesmen were taught to compare the Rocket engine to the Wildcat by an off hand comment like "Cat? What's that run on, tuna fish?" If I was selling Buicks with that on my desk I would do everything I could to make the customer feel like a field mouse. I might even accidentally call the wife "Bunny" Sport selling, been doing it for years. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Chuck.....I think it will look great displayed with your '32 Buick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Nice piece, I have seen him on plaques and on signs before but ner one like this. In case anyone asks, his name is Happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 HAPPY? Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 1980 +- A couple of years. By about 1987 the hawk was gone if my memory is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckfmtexas Posted April 21, 2017 Author Share Posted April 21, 2017 Thanks for all the comments guys. I think I will clean up the walnut a bit and find a special place for the hawk in my garage or study and show it with the car once and a while. Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 19 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: HAPPY? Ben I had always assumed it was an Eagle til a few years ago I read up on it and read that it is a Hawk and yea , his/her name is Happy. Or maybe I dreamed it ? I bet Roberta knows.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 (edited) He's a Hawk. Skyeagle just didn't make good advertising copy. Here he is in attack mode, making a Buick statement for the 1970's conservative mod people who thought "I'm Just an Okie from Muskogee" was a neat song. (We did, out here in Western New York.) Wouldn't you real rather have a Buick... than a Vega. Edited April 22, 2017 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Timmer Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Happy was a female Red Tail Hawk, She was also a bitch, hence the name. In 1972 Dave Siddon, Steve Hoddy, Ken Ebert and myself had a raptor ( bird of prey) rehabilitation center in Canoga Park Ca..Happy came to us from Bush Gardens in Van Nuys She was very large (3lb. 5oz flying weight) and aggressive, so we trained and used her to hunt and help supply the dozens other birds with the natural food they needed for good health. In 1973 we moved the center to Merlin Or.(birders will smile at that). I believe in the fall of 1974 Buick contacted Dave about Happy. Buick had no real gas economy cars and the gas crisis of the early 70's was starting to hurt, their answer, the Skyhawk. Happy at the time was moulting so that is why she only has 7 tail feathers (normal is 12) and some secondarys missing.We did a mass amount of work for Buick as they were also putting together a film to show to investors to raise money to re tool for the smaller cars. The funds from the Sky hawk job help fund what is now Wildlife Images in Merlin, now run by Dave's son David.(I'm sure they could use donations) Hope that clears up some things, Don. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRJBUICK Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 Don that is a very interesting story and adds to the history of part of Buick's advertising. Your timing sounds correct because as you can see on my 75 Pace Car the hawk was in full flight, and it appears in alot of the literature also 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 is this Happy the Buick Hawk or just an Eagle or Hawk sculpture. It definitely has more than the 7 tail fathers as mentioned by @Don Timmer above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted November 24, 2022 Share Posted November 24, 2022 What would this hawk be holding in the rings in his claws? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 Pen and pencil set, so says the seller on eBay. He also says it once belonged to a Buick Salesman..... I'm not yet convinced it's Happy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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