Re: 1952 Packard Patrician factory show car, 25K miles - Castleton-on-Hudson, NY - $50,000

Posted by HH56 On 2024/2/22 13:51:46

I think that car is shown in one of the Packard books. IIRC, there are several articles in various books noting some kind of fad in the early 50s with auto stylists trying to outdo each other with models having unique interiors and some wild exterior colors. IMO, some were quite garish and in Packard's case with that fur upholstery, a bit much. Along the same theme Kaiser tried Dragon or Crocodile skin vinyl and the equally interesting Bamboo vinyl which gives another whole meaning to interesting -- in texture, pattern and color.

Then there were actual production models such as the by todays standards very politically incorrect 55-6 Dodge LaFemme model which was aimed toward the female market and blessed with a pink exterior and an interior that I believe had special trays to hold makeup and extra mirrors. Packard showcars were actually tame compared to some by the big 3 with numerous show cars that were wild and gathered attention but were very impractical both to build or to sell.