1954 Packard on eBay

Posted by QMopar On 2022/3/22 16:10:02

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125204031345?nma=true&si=UGxpkerf38vtjnieeRtKz9z9Yo0%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

It's been featured on the Classic Auto Mall website as well as the other major classic car sites for a while and most recently been on offered on an eBay auction 3 times.

I'm not in a position to grab it but I find it interesting that this clean 68 year old car first topped out at $9100, but only around $6000 the last two times. The buy-it-now was more than twice as much as the last two highest bids. I love everything about this car – 327 straight 8, 3 speed w/overdrive, wide whitewalls, cormorant, dual spot lights, driving lights, and neat-as-a-pin cloth interior. It has all I need (and even want).

Packard was already in the history books during my formative years. I came up being hauled around in American-made station wagons (mostly Chryslers). As I became able to drive in the mid-1980’s, I first owned a Mercury and two Chryslers. All were big, torquey-but-thirsty 400ci or larger V8s. Japanese cars were cheap, fairly easy to maintain, and good on gas so I owned several. I still drive one today (even though my Fuji Heavy Industries example was made in Indiana).

With that said, my appreciation for all things American-made has grown and, for the last 20+ years, my for-fun cars have been Mopars. Currently, I play with a cheap, nothing-special 1974 Dodge Dart Sport. Even with something as mainstream as an A body Mopar, these things can be expensive! Thankfully, enough were made that you can generally find what you need affordably. It’s a good thing because I’m one of those people who enjoy driving around in a nearly 50 year old car! Especially when I can use it on a daily basis when the snow and foul weather go away for about 6 months here in northwestern PA.

When I learned that my grandpa owned a 1955 Packard Clipper, my intrigue with the company grew. And not just for Packard, for all those decades-gone American brands. Now, projecting into the future, I can't help but think: will the Packard marque fade just enough for someone like me to afford and enjoy one? Maybe never, and that’s fine – I’m not necessarily complaining. I reason that if prices are high, demand is still there. The name is still on the minds of enough folks that it remains alive.
I also believe the market dictates their value. But, in this case, the market is people. I venture to say car enthusiasts mostly. If in the years ahead, the new up-and-coming auto aficionados turn their attention toward what they came up with, will Packard prices remain up or go down? Will I get my shot when those folks with disposable income turn toward their age-of-dominate-influence-automobiles such as Honda V-TECs, Hyundai Tiburons, Tesla Model 3s, or even a Toyota Prius?

I don't even know what point I'm trying to make other than as time continues to move along, these beautiful cars (and the make’s rich history) continue to lose their admirers. Is it possible we get to the point where Packard gets lost to history? Selfishly, will I get an opportunity to own and operate one or will they become so exclusive that my opportunity has likely already passed?
This musing wasn’t to elicit pity on my financial position, rather, it was just an off-the-cuff thought – dread, really – that a car company – once so vibrant and full of life – could fall so far that it could fade into oblivion. I certainly hope the Packard name and story don’t get enveloped into the passing years.

And, finally, I can also hope to experience looking over the long hood, up over the glorious hood ornament, while the velvety–smooth straight 8 shifted through a 3 speed overdrive transmission pulls me and my family down the road to get ice cream some summer’s evening.

And having someone ask me what it’s like because I’m a man who owns one.