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Some of the worst vehicles ever made were designed and produced in the 70's and early 80's... Compared to most of the junk produced in that era, the Packards produced in the 50's were pretty near perfect.
Since I was just a kid in the '60s, I can't say much about mechanical quality back then. Exterior styling of American cars generally looked good to me, but interiors were still rather primitive - only reached maximum comfort in the '70s. Interiors of the average import car, then, seemed much more primitive, and their body sheet metal was equally, if not more, prone to rust.
Problems really began when GM went down the garden path of downsizing in the '70s; Ford and Chrysler followed. The reduction in size/weight wasn't so much a problem as was the all-too-greedy quest to maximize profit at the expense of long-term quality. For example, chrome-plating on bumpers was terrible right off the assembly line, but didn't hold up long on the plastic ornaments being introduced, either
(and still doesn't on their late-model junk). A lot more little things broke in the first year on my dad's Chevies back then - some of the simplest things that had been around for years with no trouble
(and that has only gotten worse in recent years). Yet, Japanese vehicles were still every bit the rust bucket as any American car - at least around these parts.
With a few exceptions, the '80s served up some of the worst and ugliest vehicles I ever saw. Seems like there were only two schools of styling: econobox and jelly-bean - neither very attractive. Sticker prices started skyrocketing after 1979. A used 1978 Malibu that I stripped, repainted, and tweaked was better to me than any new car. Sure, with over 50,000 miles, there was always something breaking, but almost nothing I couldn't fix at home. OE parts were still affordable. Probably the only good thing to come out of that decade was the widespread adoption of EFI, improving performance and economy, and the increased use of galvanized sheet metal, minizing rust-through.
Coming into the 1990s, I thought things had turned the corner for American automakers, but I was wrong. I've had a lot more trouble with late model GM of this period than any before. For example, the intake on its 3100-V6 was resealed for oil/coolant leaks no less four times in just over 100K, with all work done by a dealer. Meanwhile, the price of OE parts for domestic vehicles began to skyrocket - now at ridiculous levels (even those made offshore).
In comparison, any design flaws of the Packard V8 seem easy to handle. If it wasn't for all the snow and salt here (and the cost of replacing a windshield), I'd rather be driving one of my V8 Packards for daily transport.
Luxury never attracted me to any car; in fact, the "Grey Poupon" class just turns me off. Rather, it was styling and engineering (plus my dad's Exec) that drew me to Packard.
Mind you, these are just my long-winded, personal observations and opinions.
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