Just found this. Not sure if it was posted previously on the forum. The title says 1952, should say 1951. There is mention of a 200 convertible but no car and no mention of a hardtop, so it had to have been created very early in the model year before the 250 strategy came together. The 300 and 400 appear to be the first prototypes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE_SEPkaKyM

Here is a different take on the Club Sedan that uses the strategy that Packard employed with its pre-war traditional Seniors, where the Club Sedan was a close-coupled 4-door on a longer wheelbase, the chassis' extra length given to a longer trunk.

For this car the louvers have been removed and the 5 inch longer end panel forward of the decklid is the same as that used on the '55 Four Hundred.

Using the 200 sedan's greenhouse would have been a similar strategy to the all-new '52 Olds 98 sedan, though that car also had a longer rear overhang in addition to its 88 greenhouse being put on a longer wheelbase.

Attach file:

---

  1951 Packard 400 4-Door Club Sedan.jpg (51.56 KB)

If 350 was used, to be consistent with Packard's naming scheme wouldn't the 200 Club Sedan also need to be called a 250? But then in each case a higher number would have been given to a car lower in price than the 4-door version. As the Tiffany's salesman said to Holly Golightly and Paul: "You see the difficulty."

One thing in the 127 Club Sedan's favor is that it would have provided additional volume to help amortize the rear fenders and inner structure aft of the front doors that a 127 Senior hardtop would have shared. The Mayfair and Convertible may have never happened had they not been able to start with the 200 Club Sedan's lower body.

Let's try it on the 300 for starters, that would be a bit less ostentatious.

I agree with bkazmer, in 1951 the hardtop style was on its way in while the 200/300/400's late 40's taller and more rounded greenhouse style was on its way out.

Attach file:

---

  1951 Packard 300 - 127 Club Sedan.jpg (316.31 KB)

The 200 Club Sedan's combined sales in 1951, including the Business Coupe, was 20% of the Touring Sedan. Would there have been a similar market for a 300 and Patrician 400 Club Sedan on 127 chassis? Combined sales for the 4-door body style was 24,000 in 1951, so 20% would have been 4800 sales although there would have been some substitution between the 2-door and 4-door cars.

Lincoln's Cosmopolitan Club Coupe and Capri Coupe sold a combined 2,727 units in 1951 versus 12,229 for the sedan, or 22%.

Just wondering what everyone thinks.

Attach file:

---

  1951 Packard Patrician 400 2-Door Club Sedan.jpg (51.68 KB)

That green '54 is very interesting Steve. With its black walls, wires, lack of skirts and monotone color it has a Euro vibe.

Hmm, see what you mean.

Can also see it working in a sleek sort of way without the dagmars. A Request grill would sit way back rather than protrude forward like Predictor's grill, which was actually a bumper. The horizontal bumpers project forward quite a bit so should have been able to protect the grill.

What I don't like about the last proposal is the painted wasteland left when the horizontal trim that wraps from side to front is removed. Felt I had to get rid of it because it is way over-the-top and crowding the front.

Here's a version that deletes the dagmars and keeps a reined in version of the horizontal trim, now thinner like Predictor show car. Have also added a headlight bezel to driver's side lights; the mock-up doesn't have it.

This is a theme I can honestly support, at least up front. The fins in back need to go as does the rear-axle kick-out, a bad habit borrowed from 60 Special. I know why they all did it - to reuse doors from shorter wheelbase cars - but Cadillac dropped that cost-saving practice for '59 never to use it again.


EDIT: updated grill.

Attach file:

---

  (21.06 KB)

Great suggestion! Here are two versions - with and without turn signal lights. Also the rendering that inspired it. I tried the grill extending all the way down, felt that with a car as tall as Contour the grill ends up too tall. Feel same about the Request. The idea seems to work better in the rendering because it is depicting the low Panther show car in modified form, so the grill ends up not too tall.

I am probably in a small minority that believes that the investors rejected the '57 proposal in part because of the Predictor grill. I just don't think it works on that wide low theme, is too odd and at odds with the rest of the car. Maybe on a narrow car like a '56 Rambler-based Clipper and coupled with Predictor's hidden headlights. I think the '57 Packard needed the Request style grill. With the car's wide and low proportions it would have looked spectacular if done right (i.e., better than my attempt).

Attach file:

---

  (72.76 KB)


  (45.53 KB)


  (20.70 KB)

Don't mind me guys, just exploring '55 themes based on Dick Teague and Fred Hudson renderings. The back half of the stock hood is perfectly shaped for this grill.

Attach file:

---

  (72.79 KB)


  (72.60 KB)