Re: What if Packard developed an overhead cam short stroke straight eight?

Posted by Craig the Clipper Man On 2014/3/3 16:20:46

Pat:

The idea of a compact Packard in the early 1950s would have destroyed whatever customer loyalty was left for the brand. In the early '50s, compact cars were equated with cheap cars, such as the Henry J/Allstate, Nash Metropolitan, and Volkswagen Beetle. To create a compact car, Packard would have to retool a lot of its Grand Boulevard plant, produce its first four-cylinder engine since the early 1900s, and try to sell the American public that smaller is better than bigger at a time when Cadillac, Chrysler, Lincoln, Buick, etc. couldn't keep up with customer demamd.

Take for example Volkswagen's entrance into the luxury car field:

"The [Volkswagen] Phaeton debuted at prices comparable to similar offerings from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus and the Volkswagen Group's own Audi A8 (which shared its powertrain with the Phaeton).

"Sales fell far short of expectations. In 2002, the manufacturer stated the annual capacity of the new Phaeton plant at Dresden was 20,000; by September 2006 a four-year total of 25,000 had been built,[12] with production running at approximately 6,000 cars annually. The domestic market is the Phaeton's strongest, with 19,314 Phaetons delivered in Germany alone by January 2009.

"In the United States market, 1,433 Phaetons were sold in 2004, and 820 were sold in 2005, leading the company to announce that sales in the American market would end after the 2006 model year. The W12-engined models have depreciated significantly, and sell for a small fraction of their original cost.[13]

"As of January 2011, Volkswagen reported the possibility of bringing the Phaeton back to the U.S. in the car's next product cycle.[14]

"In autumn 2013 The Economist placed Phaeton into the report on Europe's biggest loss making cars."

(Wikipedia)

Sure, Suburu could throw caution to the wind and produce a $250,000 supercar, but the question is: Who would buy it? Now picture Packard, a respected, conservative luxury car manufacturer noted for building large sedans and limousines suddenly bringing out a model the size of a Henry J. What would they call it? The Dinghy?