Re: "The Packard Experience" at the Gilmore

Posted by 1508 On 2015/6/14 16:38:43

"What made things so special back then?"

Many of the cars on that tour were very special when they were new. The 1934 Packard LeBaron speedster, the 1930 Packard 734 speedster, the Cadillac V 16 aerodynamic coupe, that Rolls roadster. Those cars screamed money when they were new, and the general public generally looked back fondly on them. They remembered you really had to be something to own one of those when they were new. People knew they represented quality and craftmanship. Remember the line from the 1950 movie Sunset Boulevard when Gloria Swanson laments new cars (of 1950) being made of nothing more than "chromium and spit." She was comparing these to her 1927 Issota Fraschini in her carriage house. A 1992 Cadillac doesn't look THAT much different from a 2015 Cadillac if you think about it, and it certainly doesn't scream quality and craftmanship, at least not to me. Most of the people on that tour in 1957 were not overly wealthy either. The Jepsons were average people who owned a small gas station in NJ. Look at the motels they stayed at. I bet most of those are in seedy parts of town now that we wouldn't even think about staying in. It's sad we can't have tours like that anymore.