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Re: The Search For The Missing Packard Pan Americans (and a bit about prototype Caribbean #1)
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Thank you for the kind words. Presuming you mean in the latest issue of The Packard Cormorant? The Packard Pan American history as you see it was compiled over many years and frankly took a lifetime of collecting, chasing people and stories and cars... and saving letters, notes, news clippings, literature and more. As it turned out, we had to cut a significant portion of the text and a LOT of images to fit it all in. Most of the photos in this The Packard Cormorant magazine issue have never been published before. So very glad you are finding it enjoyable.
Just another evidence that membership in The Packard Club has its rewards... and if you're missing out on The Packard Cormorant magazine, every issue is jam-packed with goodies to warm any Packard lover's heart! Anyone who found my info and images in the Hemmings Daily blog of interest will find triple all that in issue #173 of The Packard Cormorant magazine. If you truly love this Packard history, this one will keep you busy reading for a long time-if I do say so myself. I've been a member since the 1970s.
Posted on: 2018/12/10 19:14
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Re: The Search For The Missing Packard Pan Americans (and a bit about prototype Caribbean #1)
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Hi Leon
Just received the new Cormorant, slowly reading what has to be the definitive work on the Pan Americans, kudos! Your sharing of never-before published photos taken during the building process are icing on the cake. Here's hoping the two missing cars turn up eventually. Regarding the '53 Studebaker 'convertible' in the horse-jumping photo on page 26. Dealers who were instantly dismayed by the clueless management decision to not include a convertible in the model line took matters into their own hands, sort of. What they did was modified cars to have lift-off hardtops. Of course, given the flexible, light-weight '53 frames, bracing was applied but the results were uneven dependent upon the engineering capability of the custom shop. 'Turning Wheels', the SDC publication has run various features on these aftermarket conversions over the years. Again, great article that will become the standard reference. Steve
Posted on: 2018/12/10 19:50
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.....epigram time.....
Proud 1953 Clipper Deluxe owner. Thinking about my next Packard, want a Clipper Deluxe Eight, manual shift with overdrive. |
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Re: The Search For The Missing Packard Pan Americans (and a bit about prototype Caribbean #1)
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Thanks, Steve. However when you speak of "standard reference" this was exactly what I thought I had written 34 years ago for TPC in my history of the Packard Panthers (The Packard Cormorant, Spring 1984). No one, no source, no publication had ever published many of the photos nor any of the serious factual information regarding the Packard Panthers prior to that time. In fact, NOBODY up until that time knew just how many Panthers had been made, how they got made and exactly who made them. I thought surely this was a high water mark and the piece would become a "standard reference." But I was so wrong. The article was so very right, but as a "standard reference"? Nah. It was trampled to death. To this day, there are still people in books, magazines and the internet actually quoting from that article, yet they don't even know they are quoting it. Or me. And there are numerous instances where people are quoting my personal friends from Creative Industries as if-oh yeah-the folks doing the quoting actually talked to my friends (they never did, but they make it appear that way). Often times these quotes come out with people writing them who are obviously unaware that the people they appear to quote are actually long dead! You see, two years later along came a big news stand magazine with access to all this same stuff that I had written and published and ...SHAZAMMMM! There were the same photos and the same info... only without MY name on them! All published as if I were a mere bystander and the TPC article was merely something that fell off the shelf and by magic blew in over the transom and appeared at the big magazine. I didn't like that... and I still don't...34 years later. Oh, I was mentioned in the text of the article as if in passing, but the "standard reference" aspect of the TPC article? Ignored...obliterated... minimized... and otherwise rendered almost meaningless. From that point on, it was the big magazine and their clone article that got the credit for being a "standard reference"... after all my years of hard work... and info and photos no one had ever seen before. The auction companies... the internet web sites... and on and on didn't even know about the original TPC Packard Panther history. Nor do they know I wrote it. Nor do they know the fact that it set the history on paper for the first time and published photos no one had ever seen before. Even those photos were and still are pirated on the internet... with no credit for where they originated. Every real writer has a desire to get credited for their work-just like any artist. So thank you for the praise. But in this hobby, "standard reference" status is not who gets there first with the most... but rather who gets there biggest with the most from the first. Thanks again for the kind words.
Posted on: 2018/12/10 21:50
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Re: The Search For The Missing Packard Pan Americans (and a bit about prototype Caribbean #1)
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Excellent work, Leon! Absolutely fascinating. Your recounting of the first International Motorsports Show and build up to the big "Mystery Sport Car" reveal had me on edge of seat! Thank you for your incredible contribution, and thanks to anyone who helped you with the research and editing, of which am guessing might include Stuart?
Had so many questions as I read. For sure was wondering if there was any info on cost to build the Second series. Same as #1 or was Henney able to find efficiencies? Could the cost to produce a small run been reduced in some meaningful way had certain design changes been made and all work done at standard pay with no overtime? Henney comes out looking very good. Seems Packard never figured out how to fully leverage that company's unique and incredible talents in the early 50s. Am left wondering if somewhere between the style-first Pan American and utilitarian Executive Sedan/Corporation Limousine there were opportunities in the $7,000 - $10,000 range to do low volume exciting vehicles that would have put Packard out in front of Cadillac. On related note found your comments about Nance's attitude towards Packard's designs of that era noteworthy. I think Reinhart emerges as one of the true masters, but apparently the subtlety of his Contour design and how to build on it was lost on Nance. Paul
Posted on: 2018/12/16 22:12
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Re: The Search For The Missing Packard Pan Americans (and a bit about prototype Caribbean #1)
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Quote:
Hello Paul. Thanks much for the very kind words. I am glad you found the TPC article enjoyable. It is not something that was a joint project. For instance the chart in the center spread is something I made up from scratch. No one ever did that one before-at least not like it is done here. It is a matter of a lifetime of collecting, saving, talking with people, chasing down stories, chasing down cars, studying the cars I saw and taking photos. And weeding out truth from myth. For instance, online internet and magazine articles and auction company histories will tell you that Pan Am #6 was Pan Am #1 and that it never had a top. None of that is true at all. Can't tell you how many times I chased all over the country and into Europe on the trail of a "Pan American" that turned out to be a Caribbean...some beat to a pulp or wildly customized. Of course it took me many years to write what you read. I imagine that some thought it would never be done. But likewise, almost any historical article is a bit of a collaboration by nature. All of which is why I credit and thank so many people who provided photos and information and leads. And again, of course Stuart is editor and-as always-does an incredible job. The club (and Packard fans in general) is(are) wildly lucky to have him at the helm of TPC.His skill, passion, enthusiasm and energy are boundless. But the editing was not to re-write me, rather it was to condense and corral what I wrote into a size that would fit in The Packard Cormorant magazine. Even as it is, he had to get special permission to add more pages to this issue. But Stuart did a masterful job in laying out the piece and making it all look so beautiful. He also took some of the recent color pics. In the end probably 20-30% of the text had to be cut and I had lots and lots more photos-most of which that have never been published had to be left out. But we only had so much room. As for Packard and their ability to make money off of hand-built specialty cars made by outsiders, the crux of the matter to ever make such stuff work is in the sometimes magical concept of "economies of scale." Having worked on the OEM level in the automotive business I can tell you-no matter what you are building-there have to be enough buyers out there in car land to assure you can make enough of whatever it is. This, to get the retail price down to a profitable amount and still be exciting and attractive to buyers. This-even today is still the magic formula. But the romance and passion of all this old school car biz is slowly being lost. In fact it is worse with most car companies now being run by people more oriented in Wall Street finance and wanting to pay out huge dividends to stockholders...with little to no romance or emotion being involved. Which is why most cars today either look like frowning potatoes or grinning jelly beans and you have to get up close on one to read the name to know which brand is which. Companies are now turning their noses up at anything that doesn't generate huge sales and outrageous profits (for instance trucks vs. cars). All of which is why car companies don't want to bother with making cars anymore when trucks and SUVs generate far more profit per unit. This is despite that many cars still being good sellers and profitable. it's becoming all about profits and those old passions and biz models are less and less relevant to those running things. In Packard's case, Jim Nance had far too many issues to resolve when he first arrived to focus too much energy on making money with Henney. Had things continued as he wanted (and dare I say in the right direction) whatever Henney was doing would have been handled by Creative Industries of Detroit-which was closer, better equipped and more wide-ranging. Creative could do everything from engineering to fabrication to metallurgies to specialized welding to new technologies. And Nance already had several of his designers camped out there anyway. Had the 1957 real Packards have been built as planned, you would have seen a very different enterprise for Packard and the way it interacted with outside suppliers/coachbuilders. As for Nance appreciating Reinhart's work, I'm sure he did, but not those tail lights. He couldn't stand them and they had been (excuse the pun) hanging around for 4 long years. And when viewing this situation one must always keep in mind that this was the 1950s. Back then something brand-new was expected by the American car buyer and the industry-every 365 days! Car designs that were over a year old were considered ancient. A 4-year-old car tail light was worse than a 4-year-old computer is today! Obsolete and over-baked-no matter how good or artful it may have been. That's what Jim was reacting to. Besides, Reinhart was long gone by then. Anyway, thanks again for your kind comments and appreciation.
Posted on: 2018/12/16 23:49
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Re: The Search For The Missing Packard Pan Americans (and a bit about prototype Caribbean #1)
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Leon,
Great article. Only able to read it now after receiving the magazine once it crossed the Pacific!
Posted on: 2018/12/24 20:56
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Mal
/o[]o\ ====  Bowral, Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia "Out of chaos comes order" - Nietzsche. 1938 Eight Touring Sedan - SOLD 1941 One-Twenty Club Coupe - SOLD 1948 Super Eight Limo, chassis RHD - SOLD 1950 Eight Touring Sedan - SOLD What's this?  Put your Packard in the Packard Vehicle Registry! Here's how! Any questions - PM or email me at ozstatman@gmail.com |
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Re: The Search For The Missing Packard Pan Americans (and a bit about prototype Caribbean #1)
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Ahhh. Well, sorry for the wait, but thanks for the compliment! Glad to know you are enjoying the Pan American history in The Packard Cormorant magazine. There are quite a few years tied up in this one! Happy Holidays and best wishes for a great 2019.
Posted on: 2018/12/25 0:57
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