Re: Postwar LWB Market Production
Posted by 58L8134 On 2016/2/28 17:13:25
Hi Paul
Thanks for graphing the sales and pricing data, it makes it much more understandable than having to wade through those numbers on the chart. Most startling is how quickly the effort to broaden the 22nd Series lwb program ended in disaster. It would be a reasonable assumption that management did so thinking the Custom Eight sales would hold or increase, be supplemented by the additional Super Eight volume given those essentially had no price competition in that segment. Christopher and Briggs would both have been vindicated had that come to pass. Only the action of moving lwb body production from Henney to Briggs may have kept this from becoming an even more costly debacle.
Of the last round at the lwb 'carriage' trade for 1953-54, it worked out about as well. Henney cut them no deal to build the cars, then the marketplace gave them such an indifferent reception that heavy discounting was necessary to clear even the small numbers made. An in-house effort to create a true 60 Special competitor i.e. a lengthened six passenger sedan with distinctive, exclusive styling would have been a better gambit.
As far as why Crown Imperials were so expensive, perhaps their unique disk brake system added significant cost, certainly wasn't the shared Mopar body contributing. Just a hunch that Chrysler management preferred to be chauffeured in their own top-line car whether it was a costly vanity or not.
Indeed, Cadillac management took full advantage of being the only lwb game in town. Its unlikely the cost to engineer and tool each new body series increased anything like the retail price did. Definitely there was a prestige boost for the entire line to be preceived as offering the most expensive cars available each model year, to say nothing of being the standard equipage of the wealthy and powerful.
Here's a few photos of a 22nd Series Super Eight lwb at the PAC National Meet at Warren, Ohio in 2014. It was a washout but the show went on. Though it and the Custom Super Clipper lwb weren't parked to accurately compare for length, the latter cuts a more impressive figure.
Steve
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Thanks for graphing the sales and pricing data, it makes it much more understandable than having to wade through those numbers on the chart. Most startling is how quickly the effort to broaden the 22nd Series lwb program ended in disaster. It would be a reasonable assumption that management did so thinking the Custom Eight sales would hold or increase, be supplemented by the additional Super Eight volume given those essentially had no price competition in that segment. Christopher and Briggs would both have been vindicated had that come to pass. Only the action of moving lwb body production from Henney to Briggs may have kept this from becoming an even more costly debacle.
Of the last round at the lwb 'carriage' trade for 1953-54, it worked out about as well. Henney cut them no deal to build the cars, then the marketplace gave them such an indifferent reception that heavy discounting was necessary to clear even the small numbers made. An in-house effort to create a true 60 Special competitor i.e. a lengthened six passenger sedan with distinctive, exclusive styling would have been a better gambit.
As far as why Crown Imperials were so expensive, perhaps their unique disk brake system added significant cost, certainly wasn't the shared Mopar body contributing. Just a hunch that Chrysler management preferred to be chauffeured in their own top-line car whether it was a costly vanity or not.
Indeed, Cadillac management took full advantage of being the only lwb game in town. Its unlikely the cost to engineer and tool each new body series increased anything like the retail price did. Definitely there was a prestige boost for the entire line to be preceived as offering the most expensive cars available each model year, to say nothing of being the standard equipage of the wealthy and powerful.
Here's a few photos of a 22nd Series Super Eight lwb at the PAC National Meet at Warren, Ohio in 2014. It was a washout but the show went on. Though it and the Custom Super Clipper lwb weren't parked to accurately compare for length, the latter cuts a more impressive figure.
Steve
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