Re: Year-end Leftover 1953 models

Posted by 58L8134 On 2014/8/1 8:59:16

Hi

For Nance and Packard, 1953 might be titled "the season of our discontent begins". When faced with all the reversals DaveB845 enumerates, one wonders whether even an auto industry experienced president would have been able to cope much better.

Over-production for various carmakers appears to have been common at the time, Kaiser-Frazer did so massively in 1949-50, re-serial numbering unused leftover 1949 models as 1950 models (still legal to do so at the time) to relieve the glut. Still, masses of leftover persisted, about 10,000 altogether. K-F only built the 1951 Frazer to utilized all those leftover old bodies piled up at Willow Run.

They turned to a similar gambit at the beginning of 1952, marketing leftover 1951 models with minor trim changes as 1952 Virginians. And again for early 1954, the '54 Specials which were leftover 1953's with new front clips and tailights fitted, still carrying '53 dashes and the '51-'53 style rear window.

Perhaps Nance could have torn a page from K-F's playbook, had '54 Clipper "sore thumb" tailight adapter units ginned up, bolted them to the rear fenders of leftover '53 Clippers, added other bits and pieces of trim to create the '54 looks, peddled them as '54 Clipper 200'S.

One can only imagine how dealers must have reacted when the ordered '54's didn't appear but the factory kept pushing leftover '53's.....at heavily discounted prices. Small wonder the dealer organization was in turmoil.

Steve