Re: 1953/4 Caribbean 4-door hardtop sedan exploration
Posted by Mahoning63 On 2020/4/3 10:38:29
Given Henney's operational and cost dysfunction and Nance's decision to cut the cord in April 1954 (which he could have easily postponed a year had the '54 models been carried over to '55) there was another long wheelbase opportunity available to Packard for '54 that might have been worth exploring: a 2-row Executive sedan that married the coupe's 9 inch longer front doors to the 127 sedan, increasing its wheelbase to 136 inches.
My eyes could be wrong but the coupe's front window frames appear to follow the rain channel downward, so Packard would have needed to tool straight window frames, which would have opened up lots of possibilities to improve what would have otherwise been an odd greenhouse proportion given that the front doors were so much longer than rear.
One possibility would have been to shorten the front door window frames by several inches and increase B-pillar width same. A chrome applique that matched the two-tier design on C-pillar would have nicely covered the new B-pillar's wall of paint. A Derham formal version could have been cataloged too.
A 136 wb 2-row sedan and limousine would have targeted a different market than what Cadillac and Imperial had been competing in, one much less tied to the funeral market, more likely to be seen transporting Wall Street tycoons into NYC and movie stars to a red carpet Hollywood gala. Launching it in 1954 would have given Packard valuable data about the market's potential which could have been used in planning the all-new '56 models, and since Packard now leased Conner and controlled it, building the car there would have given the plant needed lwb experience that also could have informed the '56 plan.
Attach file:
(69.83 KB)
My eyes could be wrong but the coupe's front window frames appear to follow the rain channel downward, so Packard would have needed to tool straight window frames, which would have opened up lots of possibilities to improve what would have otherwise been an odd greenhouse proportion given that the front doors were so much longer than rear.
One possibility would have been to shorten the front door window frames by several inches and increase B-pillar width same. A chrome applique that matched the two-tier design on C-pillar would have nicely covered the new B-pillar's wall of paint. A Derham formal version could have been cataloged too.
A 136 wb 2-row sedan and limousine would have targeted a different market than what Cadillac and Imperial had been competing in, one much less tied to the funeral market, more likely to be seen transporting Wall Street tycoons into NYC and movie stars to a red carpet Hollywood gala. Launching it in 1954 would have given Packard valuable data about the market's potential which could have been used in planning the all-new '56 models, and since Packard now leased Conner and controlled it, building the car there would have given the plant needed lwb experience that also could have informed the '56 plan.
Attach file:
(69.83 KB)
This Post was from: https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=220810