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Having worked in this business, I can tell you one thing: these books are done well in advance of the cars ever being built. There are things that end up in OEM publications that simply never arrive in the real world out on the street down on the ground.
You will note the February, 1955 date. By 1956 actual production this was all ancient history. But when the printing presses rolled (especially back in those days) the printing presses rolled. Too many people look back today and take everything in that last two years of almost panic at Packard as gospel fact. But it wasn't always that way.
I don't know that actual date of the first 1955 Caribbean, but the engineer I met back in the 1950s told me it was a cobbled car. The first 1955 Caribbean was built wayyyyyyyyyyyy in advance and several things that were on it either changed or deleted altogether. I don't know how many pilot-production Caribbeans were done, but I suspect no more than one-if that. When I saw him with a "1956" Caribbean, it was really still a 1955 dressed up to look like a 1956. Don't know if this was the last 1955 or simply the 1955 engineering car redressed. But I can assure you the first pilot production and press cars were different from production.
For instance, initial press photos of the 1956 Caribbeans show metal robe rails on the backs of the seats and indeed at least two sets of these were made that way. But it was not a normal production item found on cars you or I could really buy.
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