Re: 1955 Clipper Customs w/o TL

Posted by 55PackardGuy On 2010/1/5 20:30:33

Maybe this'll clear some of the mystery up:

"Torsion-Level [in 1955] . . . was standard on the Caribbean, a required option on the Patrician and Four Hundred, optional at $150 on Clipper Customs . . . [According to Allison] 'The decision was made to build 25% of the Clippers [Customs] with torsion bars [but] three months later the dealers were ordering Torsion-Level on 75% of their cars.' Thus the system was later made available on [1955] Clipper Supers."
Packard, a History of the Motor Car and the Company, 1978, Automobile Quarterly pub., Beverly Rae Kimes, ed, p 593.

There obviously could have been a number of '55 Clipper Customs (75% of the early run) without T/L. Then there were many late Supers and perhaps others that had the T/L as an option.

I can't find the reference, but I believe T/L was standard across the board in '56. This could be wrong, though.