'55 or '56 body style

Posted by 55PackardGuy On 2009/10/30 1:05:12

As far as I know, this topic hasn't been discussed here. Being the V8 Packard Forum, and being that the forum title includes the (1955-56) addendum, think it would be interesting to get opinions from the V8 forum folks on which of these two Packard model years' styling they like the best and why.

I'll start by saying (and given my handle, this is probably not a surprise) I like the '55 best overall. A bit cleaner, and I think this particularly applies to the front of the Seniors and the rear and sides of the Clippers, the two-tone paint and curved side molding on the Custom and Constellation. I believe that no other automobile ever to use this particular treatment, making them unique. To tell the truth, I also prefer the "sore thumb" Clipper tail lights over the '56 "slippers," which are more mainstream. There's no contest on the vertical grill bars versus the horizontal of the '56 Clipper lineup. The vertical chrome on the '55 Clippers is most faithful to the Packard styles of yore than any of the V8 Packard models of either year.

On the seniors, from the side, I actually also like the "reynolds wrap" that does not run the full length. To me, the '56 side trim extended over the rear quarter is a bit overdone. The trunk of the '56 model year is a plus, but the hood of the '55 models with the deeper stamping looks more sculpted. The pointy "eyebrows" on the seniors are unique, but they always appear too aggressive, and also ripe to be crunched in any kind of front-end impact. The "egg crate" grille, which first appeared in '48 I believe, disappeared on the '51-'54 Reinhart designs for good reason, I think. It looks too busy for my taste.

That's my general assessment of some of the various major styling features of the '55-'56 models, including front, rear, and sides. The rooflines and "cathedral" tail lights are pretty similar between the years and I don't really have an opinion either way on those aspects. Likewise on the placement of "bumper bullets" which I think work well in both years.