DOTS: A Big Barge

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 07/19/2020 at 15:22 • Filed to: Dots, packard

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Even not including my walk along the mighty Chattahoochee River yesterday , I had an interesting day. I have decided that this beautiful old Packard deserves its own post.

I love this thing. Just a unabashed beast of a sedan. Packard is not a brand that gets much love. I see far more of its GM competitors.

I actually am somewhat smitten by this design. I like the simple and cohesive front end. The grille visually continues all the way across the front to the wheel arches through that textures piece framing the side marker lights, which is interesting. The headlights echo the shape of the front bumper projections and the gentle upwards curve of the grille continues the theme. This is a very nice design.

On this side, you can see what it would look like without that side chrome piece. I think that bit adds a lot of visual interest. Also, the front end seems to be awfully high off the ground. Any ideas? Maybe the engine was removed.

This Packard doesn’t subscribe to the “biggest plane is best plane” idea for the hood ornament.

Even with the skirted panel taken off, it looks like taking off the wheel would be a tight fit.

The door handle placement is interesting. I like how the shapes converge in this one location.

The Packard has the current plate design, which isn’t all that old, so it is likely it has been on the road recently. Also, is that the exhaust poking out from the bumper guards? Surely it can’t be.

The size of this car is impressive. It is just immensely satisfying to see that vast hood stretch out in front of you to that elegant hood ornament.

The interior of this car is quite striking. The chrome textured paneling might reflect sunlight directly into your eyes, but who cares? It looks amazing!

Of particular note is the central glovebo x location. I wonder what is behind that large panel on the right, labeled “ Packard,” where it would usually go?

Huh, I didn’t quite expect to not see any rear seat at all. At least you can see the floors are surprisingly solid. That is an old fashioned looking can. It appears to have an integrated hand pump.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/19/2020 at 15:47

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It’s hard to imagine all cars being like that, it was like a crazy art project for car makers back then. 

onlytwowheels > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/19/2020 at 15:56

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This is what it looked like back in 1955...... glorious!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > onlytwowheels 07/19/2020 at 16:03

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Oh, the "grille" continues all the way there! That's simply delightful! I love how the elements work together. The rear fender skirt almost feels as though it was draped over the regular body lines.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 07/19/2020 at 16:03

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Well, pedestrians mattered less back then. You could put spikes wherever you wanted to!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > onlytwowheels 07/19/2020 at 16:04

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Also, wait, the exhausts really do exit thought the bumper things?

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/19/2020 at 16:26

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I n that first pic tu re it kind of looks like the rear end is sagging from the burden of its own weight.

You should track down the owner, buy  it, and rescue it.

onlytwowheels > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/19/2020 at 16:28

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Many 50's and early 60's cars did this.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > onlytwowheels 07/19/2020 at 16:47

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Just gotta get that chrome nice and scalding in case you rub up against it.

From experience, rubbing against hit exhaust tips is no bueno.

I like the idea though. Very cool.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > John Norris (AngryDrifter) 07/19/2020 at 16:50

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It had a very old for sale sign in the window. I don’t exactly have the time or resources or anything really to take on a project. The body was pretty mu h entirely free of structural rot and there wasn't even much surface rust. It would make a great restoration candidate. 

I think it is just that the front is way way way higher off the ground. I suspect it is the suspension reacting to not having a heavy engine in place.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/19/2020 at 16:54

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Yep, those are exhaust ports. These cars, as nice as they looked, were actually heavily reworked versions of the 51-54 Packard design. You can see it in the high beltline - this feature, when compared to other new for 1954-55 domestics, makes it look maybe a little taller. Here’s the basis design:

Many consider these 55-56s the last “real” Packards.

Several years ago at a small town car show in the little community where my mom lives, the ultra-rare Caribbean version came out of the woodwork. This was perhaps an unrestored car, as the odometer registered low mileage, and it had just enough patina (hard to see in the pics) to suggest aged surfaces. Again note the somewhat high beltline. They were trying hard to work with what they had, and it is a striking car:

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 07/19/2020 at 17:00

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I noticed it at the time. The beltline v window size is about on par with the Silverado behind it. And the Packard towers over the Civic. It is actually rather more thicc than you might expect.

It does look a little dated for a 55. The side fender detailing betrays the more contemporary tail find and wide front end. It is a tall car despite the visual widening.

Such a beautiful design though. It bridges the gap between the early and late 50s.

ranwhenparked > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 07/19/2020 at 17:50

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Before regulations, they could basically build whatever their designers could draw.

ranwhenparked > fintail 07/19/2020 at 18:02

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They had plans for a totally redesigned 1957 model, but could not raise funding for the new tooling (Studebaker-Packard’s controlling shareholder, Curtiss-Wright, wouldn’t pay for it themselves). They had also burned about half their cash reserves to move assembly from their old East Grand Blvd plant to the smaller and more efficient former Briggs body plant on Conner Ave, and lost even more in lost revenue, when it took longer than expected to get production going again. Add in the hundreds of millions in defense contracts that were transferred from S-P to GM under Defense Secretary (and ex GM president) Charlie Wilson, and the writing was basically on the wall.

Supposedly, Studebaker-Packard management were very careful about showing the Black Bess ‘57 prototype to only very limited individuals, it was useful for fundraising pitches, but budget cuts meant workmanship was not up to usual Packard standards, they were kind of embarrassed by it.

glemon > fintail 07/19/2020 at 18:10

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I would never think to paint a car, even a 50s car, in those colors, but that Caribbean is really striking.  Saw one go at auction a few years back.  I seem to recall it bringing very good money despite needing a total restoration.

onlytwowheels > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/19/2020 at 18:23

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Many owners relocated the exhaust when it was in need , primarily ease of replacement and to preserve the bumper, not for safety reasons.

fintail > glemon 07/19/2020 at 19:12

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Maroon, sky blue, and white - won’t see that again.   I think good ones can bring really good money, especially for a non-sporty orphan make and model of that era.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/19/2020 at 19:14

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My eyes have always seen the 55-56 as an older middle section with updated front and rear ends. The cathedral tail lights are another interesting design, but I can’t imagine how hard it was to sell something like this against a Caddy or Buick of the era, or even a Chrysler or Lincoln.

fintail > ranwhenparked 07/19/2020 at 19:16

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I know a lot of brand loyalists were upset about the way it was handled. I recall reading something about the old Packard archives effectively being tossed in the dumpster, too.

Black Bess doesn’t do much for me - for as much of as an effort as they put up with limited funds, unless that car had some miracle tech, I doubt it would have saved much.

That defense contract thing sounds like what Ike was warning us about.  Here we are!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 07/19/2020 at 19:21

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Same. Neat, but a little behind the times with a double whammy for the brand having less prestige. 

ranwhenparked > fintail 07/19/2020 at 19:32

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And it was Ike’s guy! He moved $425 million in defense spending from Studebaker-Packard to General Motors - thats over $4 billion, inflation adjusted. Definitely enough for the company to notice. They spent $12.6 million ($119.4 million today) transferring production to Conner Ave, which they also spent $4.2 million on to lease from Chrysler for 5 years. It was supposed to save $12 million a year in operating costs, vs. building bodies in one plant, moving them to another for assembly, and maintaining the giant East Grand Blvd facility, but, it all ended up costing more than expected, and Packard’s break even from 64,000 cars a year to 80,000, instead of cutting it to 30,000 as expected. And all that was wasted, when management decided to shut down the Detroit operations and move everything to Studebaker’s plant in South Bend a few years later.

Eisenhower did try to organize a $50 million bailout loan for Studebaker-Packard, which would have been guaranteed by Ford, GM, and Chrysler, on the grounds that a major US automaker failing would ultimately be bad for the whole industry. Ford was willing to go along with it, but not GM, so the plan failed and radical downsizing and asset sales, combined with the Curtiss-Wright takeover was left as  the only way forward.

SiennaMan > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/19/2020 at 20:55

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Also occupants. All those crisp angles were a bit brutal in a crash at just about any speed, especially in an age before seat belts were common place..

fintail > ranwhenparked 07/19/2020 at 22:03

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I wonder if that incident happened before or after Ike’s prescient warning.

The downfall of Packard is pretty tragic - bad market positioning and strong competition helped to do them in as well, no doubt.  Too much brand dilution, and it was effectively impossible to keep up with the constant design evolution of the larger competition, especially GM.  It was going to happen sooner or later, the writing was probably on the wall by the early 50s.

ranwhenparked > fintail 07/19/2020 at 22:08

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Before - it was done in his exit speech in 1961. Once Packard decided to leave the high end coach built ultra-luxe segment, and move downmarket into the mass market, mainstream luxury segment, the writing was on the wall. It helped them survive the 1930s, but competing with GM/Cadillac and Ford/Lincoln as an independent was not going to work long term. In their original status as an American Rolls-Royce, they could survive in good economic times, since that market wasn’t as concerned with gadgets, technology, innovation, or change for changes’ sake until ca. the 1990s or so, but there was no way they could be that and also  whether the Depression. 

fintail > ranwhenparked 07/19/2020 at 23:09

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Those 110/120 models in the late 30s might have been it. Some makers today might want to not forget history.   I’ve always look at Packard as kind of an American (old day) M-B, engineering-driven, traditional styling.

I wonder if that experience was an idea for Ike’s statement - also some history some have forgotten.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ranwhenparked 07/20/2020 at 00:55

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Who showed that to the Ford execs? That looks like an Edsel! And pretty modern for 1957.

oldmxer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 07/21/2020 at 01:46

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back in the 50's they were one of the first to have ac, it was in the truck area and was vented in through the shelf under the rear window