Re: Synopsis of forces and events leading to '48-'50 styling

Posted by Mahoning63 On 2020/3/23 9:00:34

The 48's smooth exterior lines must have been a revelation at the time, very modern and elegant. Seems the design was a stand-out initially in both the press and public's eye, benefiting greatly from Cadillac having a very late launch of its all new post-war design and Nash and Lincoln not appearing until '49. Once all those cars hit the road Packard's shortcomings became apparent. It was comparatively tall and still had a pre-war windshield with split flat glass. And the 4 door sedan didn't have much bustle in the rear, which had been fine with the original Clipper because its body pinch-in gave the wide rear a visual mass that balanced better with the trimmer front.

My biggest beef with the '48 is its front appearance. There are effectively two different grills stacked on top of each other. This is where Macauley's Phantom could have helped, its two grill areas seamlessly unified. Am starting to wonder if such a modified '48 front could have been married to the '46 Clipper body to create a '47-48 refresh called Phantom.

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