Re: 1956 Caribbean hardtop options on a Four Hundred

Posted by Dave Brownell On 2015/1/31 9:11:29

Now that you know that your Packard did time at Packard's Puebla assembly point (today, the hub of VW's vast facility that churns out thousands of Golfs, Beetles and other lines each day) and started out as a CKD car, you can also take some consolation in the fact it was within the last five hundred or so Four Hundred hardtops produced in the spring of 1956.

Mine (5687-4121) is also among the last produced with only 103 Four Hundreds behind it. Both of us have the benefits of most of the production improvements Packard made in the 56s, including the stronger rear axles and differentials. So, keep that beautiful hood and know that yours is a fitting example of Packard's automotive art and pride.

I also hope that as things were winding down some Detroit factory parts picker wasn't scavenging the unimproved dusty bits and pieces that were tucked away so that our cars could be put together without reordering new production from a supplier. After all, with the downtimes and erratic production schedules those last few months, most Packard workers might have suspected that time was of the essence, no matter the slogans like "nothing can stop us now."