Re: Mid-30s Twelve what-if

Posted by 58L8134 On 2013/11/23 17:58:16

Hi

".......the company's 1935-40 advanced design "dead zone" Good descriptions, Paul! Something happened when the Junior series came to the fore that apparently caused Ed Macauley and his small staff to lay aside any progressive design explorations. This isn't to suggest that the styling of either generation of Juniors was anything less that market-consistent and fully competitive. But they didn't break any new ground either, this at a time when the market was receptive to such efforts.

When one contrast Ed Macauley's slick '32 Twelve speedster with it's successors; an oddly painted, side-mounted 1938 Eight-based coupe carrying a '39-type grille or '39 Super Eight convertible coupe customized solely with a three-position drophead top, the latter two pale by comparison. Only when his '41 Darrin coupe de ville, which became the basis for the unfortunately-restyled "Brown Bomber", appeared did it seem as if Ed revived some of his old vigor for progressive design work.

Fortunately Darrin in Hollywood was demonstrating what was possible, gave them someone to turn to immediately when it became obvious the GM C-body Torpedo sedans were a major challenge. Darrin liked to attach his name to whatever styling proved successful, no matter to what extent he actually contributed, yet his taking credit is justified since his initial styling concept set the theme for the Clipper. How unfortunate it came to market so late, no valid reason exist for that to have been the case except for an underdeveloped styling department adrift without strong direction. Had they realized their lack of progressive vision sooner, Darrin might have been engaged by early 1938. If motivation was needed, simply reading the market response to the Cadillac 60 Special alone should have lit a fire under them to get new body architecture ready for 1940.

Darrin wasn't their only source that should have been tapped, Brunn, LeBaron and Rollston - Rollson, all were available to provide design work applicable to production cars, perhaps best to lend a flair and verve not found among their competitors. It's a terrible shame that management didn't recognize this wellspring of fresh, elegantly custom design work just there for the asking. Proof of their ability, the Rollson '40 Sport and Sunair sedans demonstrated to Packard that closed models could have the verve of convertible styles. Given their relationship for '38-'39 with Rollston supplying the custom bodies, one would think they would have requested further design work for future models as a matter of course. Brunn too was still very much in the game, as their Touring Cabriolet and variants showed. After Brunn closed in late '41, young Herman C. Brunn joined Ford Motor Company in 1944, applied his considerable talents to various Lincoln interiors and trim through retirement in 1970. There was no lack of great design talent available to Packard in those immediate pre-war years had they only taken every advantage of it. Not to forget, Ray Dietrich was still languishing at Chrysler, being stymied at every turn by Engineering. One would bet he would have jumped at a chance to escape that frustration.

Steve