As with the value of any 1955 Caribbean, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". There are several Caribbean's with engines installed that do not match the production number on the dataplate. There is a least one Caribbean that has a Clipper engine installed. There are several that have non-serialized engines that were probably factory replacements of warranty claims or other problems along the way. So for some people, a matching engine is a prerequisite for a high dollar Caribbean. For others, a beautiful and reliable driver is all that matters. So once again, the valve of any Packard is established each time the cash changes hands. Good luck.

Headliner is a separate piece of very light fabric sewn to the exterior top. He has done both 1955 and 1956 tops. I'd suggest a buyer secure samples of the material before I placed an order to make sure he hasn't lost "the recipe". Our Indiana Packard friend who owns all the Caribbean's he can find has used his services for many years.

Try Art's Trim Shop; Anderson, IN; 765-644-5389. He has experience producing several tops with the correct headliner color. Good luck.

Take a quick look at the 1951 Annual Report. The company has NO DEBT; $14.5 million in cash, $11.1 million in securities; $3.8 million in accounts receivable; $1.7 million in government payments due and $11.1 million in automobile inventory. Plus $32.3 million in real estate. I think that's about $650-$700 million currently that could be leveraged in today's financial markets into about $1.5 to $2 Billion. So if I were Mr. Nance and I didn't know how much money it took to compete in the auto market, I would think Packard could purchase a few small countries. The Big Four roll-up would just require the agreement of the Boards and CEO's. They should have started in 1951.

So, I believe that the reported Nance comments from 1951 are genuine views held at the time of his first meeting with Mr. Ferry.

I may have some additional info on this Caribbean. Send a PM.

Actually, Holinga's 1954 is a very red convertible, not a Caribbean. There is also a photo of it going thru the PPG gate in the earlier posting with the 250+ photos.

THANKS!!!! Great job and looking forward to more commentary and photos.

The Continental Mark II and the 1951 Packard shared the same lead designer, John Reinhart. If anyone could turn the Mark II into a Packard, Reinhart would know how. For those of us who love the look of the Continental Mark II and the 1951-1956 Packard, there's a reason.

Anyone have the modern paint code for 1956 Danube Blue and Roman Copper?

Purchased Halogen bulbs for my 51 Patrician 400 from Bill Hirsch and have been very pleased with their performance. Strongly recommend this update for those of us who drive our Packard.