Re: Are 57 and 58 Packards really Packards

Posted by BH On 2009/9/7 19:49:09

When none of my Packard books are handy, I have often found myself unsure as to who was responsible for designing the 1957 Packard Clipper, but it was Teague.

As a fan of the '55-'56 Packards (and Clippers), I can appreciate the '57 Packard Clipper's reuse of several familiar parts and hallmarks, and Teague's involvement explains the hybrid Junior-Senior appearance of the facelifted Studebaker President shell.

Now, back in the dark days in the bunker, while S-P looke into the building of Packards on Lincoln bodies, Duncan MacRae was exploring the possibility of building Studebakers on Ford shells, but neither program came to fruition. (Funny, but I get a Packard "sensation" from the '58-'60 Lincoln Premieres.)

MacRae went on to execute the restyling for the 1958 Packard line, but credit for the vision of what a '58 Packard should be, especially the Hawk, really ought to go to Curtis-Wright's Roy Hurley. That man clearly didn't have a clue about the car styling or what the Packard-buying public wanted (as witnessed by the dismal sales figures), let alone the auto biz. However, I do give credit to MacRae for accomplishing a lot of change with a very limited budget.

Personally, I would have much rather seen the '57s that Detroit stylists intended (as seen in pix of the full-size clays that I contributed to the Photo Archive, here) come to fruition.