Many excellent observations and the very reason why I'm forever fascinated by how individuals' personalities often dictate successes/failures.

Case in point, JC Penny's nearly went belly-up last year when it brought in a former Apple CEO to "turn things around." The strategies that worked well for Apple didn't translate to JCP.

Based on all the wonderful information I've gotten about "The Fall," I can't wait to read it for myself.

kind regards
Garrett Meadows

Thank you for the possible resources to access copies of both Packard books. I guess I'm going to gird my loins and grit my teeth and buy both books. Like you said, they are essentials for Packard enthusiasts.

kind regards
Garrett Meadows

You and I share similar interests. Not only am I interested in a particular item, occurrence, or entity, I want to know the who, what, when, where, and why behind the item, occurrence, or entity. I'm forever fascinated by the rise and fall of products/people, especially when that product/person was at one time at a vertiginous height.

kind regards
Garrett Meadows

Thank you for elbowing me in the direction of the Packard Bookshelf, which I totally neglected to notice.

kind regards
Garrett Meadows

Has anyone read the tome "The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company" by James Ward? It got excellent reviews on Amazon.

kind regards
Garrett Meadows

Excellent advice. Yes, I rather thought "Packard: A History of the Motor Car and the Company" might be an must-have for a Packard enthusiast. So, I'm going to start shopping both Amazon and ebay.

BTW, have you seen the tome "The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company"? It got excellent Amazon reviews.

kind regards
Garrett Meadows

Thank you for the link. Very informative.
kind regards
Garrett Meadows

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Packard-V12-Club-sedan-Club-sedan-V12-club-sedan-outstanding-driver-/271558652370?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3f3a2831d2&item=271558652370&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

First, thank you for sharing your encyclopedic knowledge about Packards. You are definitely becoming my go-to person for all things Packard.

Second, what prompted me to ask my question in the first place is a 1939 Packard v-12 Club sedan currently listed on ebay. The featured photo of the car is taken from above, clearly showing the roof. What I initially thought was perhaps a shadow or reflection of some sort on the roof is actually an insert. Although, until reading your message, I thought 1939 was rather late for cars to still have roof inserts.

As an aside, last year I was at Hot August Nights here in Reno and stopped to look at a 1935 Ford businessman's coupe magnificently restored with a roof insert. I stopped to ask the owner why the roof had an insert. Do you know he didn't have a clue. He said he bought the car just to bring it to Hot August Nights and wasn't familiar with specifics of the car. I thought it must be nice to have that kind of money.

BTW, what are those inserts made of?

I was going to buy a copy of "Packard: A History of the Motor Car and Company." Good lawd! Even on ebay copies are $90 and up.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your knowledge with me. I appreciate it.

kind regards
Garrett Meadows

I've heard two reasons why cars, primarily pre-1936 or so, had a roof insert as opposed to being one solid piece of steel. First, technology hadn't been developed to create a single sheet of metal that large. Second, cost saving.

Also, were roof inserts prone to leaking? And when were the last cars to use an roof insert?

kind regards
Garrett Meadows

Magnificent! Beautiful engines.