Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Re: 6 cyl in a 55...another wacky idea?

I wish we would get back to topic, but as a final comment on the affect of the 110/115 Six models, I think it is totally, definitively clear from a business standpoint that the Co. would not have survived even until WWII without them.

Sales (rounded figures):
1937 Six: 65,000 ALL other models: 57,000

1938 Six: 30,000 All others: 24,000

1939 Six: 24,000 All others: 22,000

1940 Six: 62,000 All others: 34,000

Six cyl models were in every case over 50% of annual total production, rising to nearly 2/3s by 1940! Clearly, Packard would NOT have survived until the Clipper introduction in '41 without the Six. McCauley & Christopher knew it, and they did what they had to do.

Furthermore, the 110/115 was NOT an inferior product that besmirched the Packard name, far from it. Like the small MBs, it was just a less luxurious, lower powered chip off the same old block.

Cannibalizaion of the 120 would have been very minimal, the price difference in '37 of $795 vs $945, $150, was very significant at the time, the difference between a Pontiac and a Buick. Very little cross shopping there in the late 30s. Even had the 120 sold, say, 20% more than 28,000 in 1940, the Co. could not have survived on a total production of 39,000 units vs the 97,000 that they did have with the Six in 1940. There just weren't enough rich people to go around! Why do you think Cadillac has, in 50 years, never marketed an $85,000+ MB S-Class competitor? Not enough market, plain and simple. Pre-war US was no different.

I agree with your conclusions. If you break down the volume one more step, the Senior line sales were totally inadequate to stay in business. I'd guess 110 + 120 is 90% at least of the volume.

For taxi competitor, think DeSoto. Cadillac did do a better job of separating LaSalle, but remember that one attraction of the 110's was the Packard look.

Here is a graph I prepared comparing model year production for the various Packard lines from 1935 to 1941. 1938 is interesting because of the effects of the recession during the depression. I would not liked to have been a production planner in those days. The sixes served their purpose of keeping Packard in business, but by 1941 they had outlived their role. Now, back to the real subject of this thread.

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Putting a 245 and standard transmission in a '55 Clipper will give better mileage and therefore a longer cruising range. That's always a plus.

Was surprised to hear that the firewall stamping was modified for '55.

Me too, being that the V8 was shorter than the 327/359, one has to wonder why they bothered to spend the money to change the firewall at all?

No more in-line engines--in fact no facilities for making any--a center mounted glove box and the need for space to hang air behind the dash, and a reworked cowl to acommodate the new wraparound windshield. That is why there is no indent in the firewall.

Here is a slightly imperfect overlay of a 54 and 55 where you can see some differences in the cowl area.

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One note to this, even thought he firewall was changed, and upper cowl was changed a bit because of the wrap around windshield...... the '51 -54 fenders will still bolt right up to a '55 body and vice-versa.

Didn't someone some years back "make" a '55 Clipper convertable using a 51-54 body and the dash and front end of a '55? I think it was in the Cormerant or something. It was really nice looking although the flatter 51-54 windsheild was a bit odd with the candy cane two-toning.

In the mid fifties auto pundits predicted the six cylinder car would be dead by 1960. The overwhelming trend was to OHV V8s even in the low priced cars.Everyone but Ford still used their old six that dated to the thirties, and Nash Studebaker Plymouth and Dodge even had flathead sixes. Only the cheapest cars had sixes and they were to be phased out as soon as possible.

A Packard six under the circumstances, was as out of date as a Stanley Steamer.