Kevin, looks like your fabric is dead on the money. Here is a picture of my original interior 55 Four-Hundred. I'm glad to know the fabric is so close as I need to replace the driver's seat bottom (the top is still in plastic!).

Attach file:

---

  (32.18 KB)


  (32.18 KB)

Hey,apologies are never necessary! I have learned so much from the great website and the people that make it great. It's all in the spirit of celebrating this extraordinary marque and the men and women who made it great and who have subsequently kept it alive. My turn will come to be wrong...trust me!

Hank, and all your Car-A-Van afficianodos...thanks for your quick eye. Indeed, the grille mesh does not extend under the headlight nacelles, so I believe our guess was right: it was installed to hinder build up of insects and other matter.

Well, you have learned something today. I took great care to go out and look at my 55 Four-Hundred and 56 Patrician to make sure I was right. 1955 senior cars (nor Clippers, for that matter) have grille screens, I can assure you. That is why I was so surprised to see this in the photo on a pre-production 1955 model. It could be that the factory thought that a grille screen behind the eggcrate casting might help in keeping away bugs and loose matter during the test run. Unfortunately, the screen couldn't keep pheasants away!

And the post mortem of the Pheasant shows us something else very interesting! Note the grille screen behind the chrome eggcrate! This is early 1955--not 1956! Obviously, pre-production cars may have been designed to have this screen?

Unfortunately, the two photos I posted are the only two in the Society's collection. However, when time permits, I may do some research via mircrofiche of the "Valdosta Daily Times" to see what might be there. John Williams' wife, Natalie gave me many photos--some of which I will post later but there are none of that very special 1955 Patrician.

Thus, the beauty of the fantastic website! Thanks so much for sharing the information on the Car-A-Van! I am searching for the promo picture from the probably next stop: Lake City Motors, Lake City, FL.

Sorry to say this wasn't John William's wife (who was much older when the Caribbean-Load of beauties was taken). Don't ever be surprised about the loveliness of our Southern women...it just doesn't get any better than down here in South Georgia and North Florida! When I post the shot of the Lake City, Florida beauties in the same car, I'll again prove my point.

Well, gentlemen, I am so glad that my posting of the John Williams Motor Company, Valdosta parade pictures has brought so much commentary. I was lucky enough to know his widow, "Miss Natalie" and even took her to lunch once in my 1956 Packard Clipper DeLuxe. After lunch she brought me in and gave me several chrome dealer logos and key chains (1956!) that were brand new. The two dealer logos are happily on our 1956 Patrician and soon to be on our new 1955 400. Mr. Williams died of cancer in 1956 and the company was closed. Luckily he never had to see the bitter end of Packard from the standpoint of a South Bend assembly line.

Miss Natalie was a very civic minded woman and, among other things, helped found the Lowndes County Historical Society. This organization graciously made scanned copies of these photographs available to post.

Many years ago I was traveling to Florida when another of my Packard Patricians threw a rod near Lake City, Florida. I had to be at an important job in Winter Park so I called the Lincoln dealer and asked if there was an 89 Town Car on their lot. Yes there was and they would come pick me up on I-75 and bring me in to town. The car was nice and reasonable and I transferred all my samples and luggage and made a deal. While the salesman was preparing the paper work he mentioned that he had a picture of a Packard convertible taken many years ago in Lake City with his wife on the back seat with two other lovelies. Indeed, he found the photo and it was this same touring 1955 Caribbean convertible. This was probably its next stop--Lake City Motors--as it made its way on down the pennisula. When I have time, I will post this picture as well!

Welcome to the website. I am a fellow 1955 Packard 400 owner as of tomorrow! You can see her on the registry!

Esquireman