The Request was styled in response to letters from many customers asking for the return of the classic Packard vertical grille. For years, its fate remained something of a mystery, but this one-off concept car was found in the early 1970s, languishing outdoors in Oregon, and acquired by a collector, who undertook a painstaking restoration.
Based on the 250 Convertible, a full four inches was sectioned out of the body and front and rear springs were modified to achieve the low-slung look of this prototype sports car. A stylish, yet functional, hood scoop funneled air to a (then) novel 4-barrel carburetor, perched on a modified Thunderbolt eight that pumped out 185hp. Interest in this custom-bodied car lead to the production of the 1953 Caribbean.
You don't get the full effect of the work that went into restyling the Convertible shell to create the Pan American until you see it from this angle. The rear fenders were not stretched to accommodate the "continental" spare tire carrier, but the trunk lid was actually relocated forward.
A cantilevered, non-removable, hardtop roof was applied to a 1953 Caribbean to create the Balboa. While the reverse-sloping back glass was held in a fixed position on the actual show car, the intent was that it could be opened - a feature that would not be accomplished by any automaker for several years.
The Predictor was the darling of the 1956 Chicago Auto Show. It was never meant for production, but to gauge public reaction to styling and features of the intended 1957 models. The car survives in the Studebaker National Museum and was restored to its full glory in 1990.
This full-size clay model is what Packard designers had intended to be the 1957 Clipper, in two-door hardtop form. Four-door Clippers in both hardtop and sedan styles were also in the plans.
This full-size clay model is what Packard designers had intended to be the 1957 Four Hundred, continuing in two-door hardtop form. The styling would have likely carried over to a Patrician four-door sedan, but a Patrician/Four Hundred four-door hardtop was also in the plans.
This full-size clay model is what Packard designers had intended to be the 1957 Caribbean convertible. Styling would have carried over to a two-door hardtop, but a four-door hardtop was also in the plans - as was a limousine version.
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Show and Concept Cars
03/06/2007 13:42
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