Re: What would a traditional Packard "Senior" have looked like in 1951?

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2017/8/31 2:34:35

I don't see any need for a longer hood, the straight eight meant it was plenty long enough. And the extended tail might have made sense but could they have sold enough to make a profit?

To me the big mistakes on the new for 51 body was the plain drab instrument panel. It looked like something for a pickup truck not a luxury car. The juniors should have been fancier and the seniors completely different, and even more fancy. This is not a trivial criticism. The dashboard is something the owner sees every time he gets in the car. It should make him feel good.

The other thing was the way they kept the same grille for 4 years. Who did this in the early fifties? Nobody, not if they wanted to sell cars. I know Packard was proud of their traditional look. That was the trouble, the public wasn't buying traditional looks.