Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

1954 version with Clipper/Panama's high riding extended rear fenders. Length grows to 220-15/32 inches vs. 216-15/32 for that year's Patrician while height drops to 62 inches vs. 62-7/8. Window sills again shaved about 1-1/4 inches.

EDIT: added versions with 200-style backlight and production glass. The middle image is my favorite.

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These are all beautiful designs! My own personal tastes prefer the stock beltline but I can see the appeal of the lowered beltline too. If Packard had come up which such a design, it would have been truly revolutionary.

Beautiful!!

Thanks, glad you guys like it!

Curious what the theme would look like on '55, found lovely and very unique coupe with faux convertible top (with much appreciation to owner). Like the '51 mod, shortened the rear fender bulge 5 inches to match the junior cars, in this case the '56 Clipper/Executive. Just a personal preference.

Would probably look good with Four Hundred's wrapped backlight in keeping with the wrapped windshield.

EDIT: added version with production window sills, Patrician's longer fender bulge and wider B-pillar that represents the actual offset of hardtop coupe's front door window to door edge.

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Connecting some dots here...

First image is '56 Caribbean hardtp. Sat on Patrician's 127 wb and used roof from 122 wb cars, which necessitated a 5 inch longer end panel between backlight and decklid.

Second image is representation of what Creative Industries created. Does not have their proposed roof trim, reshaped backlight and rear fender deco blades but otherwise captures the changes. Basically a Four Hundred with four doors which meant rear legroom and ingress/egress would have been challenged. The rear doors came from Patrician, now reverse opening. The front doors were either from Four Hundred shortened 7-1/2 inches or Patrician lengthened 1-1/2 inches, either way to take up the body gap between the Patrician's doors. Windows sills were shaved off and door handles relocated to body sides, mounted low enough to attach to near vertical surfaces. Packard likely had Creative do this not only to deal with the high pockets but because Cadillac's 1954 line included a much lower and sportier beltline on its 2-door models vs 4 doors, and Olds/Buick picked this up for '55 on its new 4-door hardtops. Cadillac did same on '56 SdV hardtop. And finally, Creative used carryover vent windows which meant the beltline below was kept too. To me this looks odd which is why I extended the vent windows in earlier work-ups down to the new sill.

Third image is Sport Brougham with changes as before including 5 inch longer hardtop roof to match Patrician roof length. Not sure what to think of the result.

I ran out a fourth image to show potential opportunity Packard missed when tooling the '55 rear fenders and '56 decklid, namely to significantly lengthen both to catch Cadillac (my image adds 5 inches). Packard had already been extending the overhang on '53-4 Caribbean to good effect and Cadillac did same on 60 Special and Coupe de Ville. Cadillac also showed a concept called the Orleans in 1953 with reverse opening doors, hardtop roof and wrapped windshield, telegraphing to Packard potential features it was planning. Had Packard simply used that car as its competitive benchmark for 1955, the company could have offered a really nice 4 door hardtop.

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