Re: 8.75 vs 2.1

Posted by 58L8134 On 2014/11/22 17:40:16

Hi Steve203

Ultimately, it came down to a failure of leadership by Nance who, because he had no prior auto industry experience, was essentially doing on-the-job training as he directed the corporation. Ferry and the board incorrectly assumed that success in the appliance business would automatically transfer to automobiles. It didn't because automobiles are a very different game. Packard management, as auto industry insiders, should have recognized that during the interviews. If they couldn't tell, maybe they should have asked others in the industry for their perspective as to whether an outsider could manage an auto company. Guesses are they'd have gotten looks of incredulity just for asking.

Patrick Foster has posed the question in his columns before whether Packard would have been turned around by Romney if he'd come aboard in 1948. As you point out, his auto executive acumen didn't really exist at that point but was mentored by George Mason over seven years when events then thrust him into the lead role. We can't know whether Nance, given the same tutoring by Packard management over four-five years, might not have turned out to be just as affective as Romney.

Vision and prescience were two qualities badly needed in any auto company leadership, still are. Emergent markets such as compacts and personal luxury sport models were opportunities only those with a good 'read' on the future figured out.....or come to by accident. In the case of the compact, the experience of the Henry J, Jet and Aero notwithstanding, overall the trend of small import car sales was continually upward. Rambler volumes tracted generally with those, proved that if the size and content were right enough, a company could cash in on the trend.

Somewhat harder to see was the personal luxury sport but the trend was also there for those who thought to look. Jaguar XK gave the best indication but interest in Corvette, Nash-Healey, Muntz, Skylark, Eldorado and Caribbean revealed two door, four seat, well-equipped, luxury models were finding a market in an increasingly affluent postwar America.

Taking the S-P merger as framework, how to integrate and revise 1956 to have taken full advantage of the platforms each brought to the combine? Here's my rough outline.

Champion: return to it's 9/10 roots by reworking it to a 110"wb compact with six and 224 ci V8. Benchmarked on the 1954 Rambler 108" wb sedan and wagon, think of it as a "Champion-Lark" developed on the cheap. Turn the Stude's narrow width into a virtue. Push them as well-equipped for the base price, institute deleting of standard equipment for those wanting cheaper prices.

Commander: change to 120.5 wb for all four door sedans, add a four door wagon on that Y-body platform; 259 ci standard, 289 ci optional. Drop the two door sedans and wagons. Add two door hardtop and convertible for 1957 or 1958 if warranted.

President Speedster/Hawk: As suggested, develop only the full-luxury performance hardtop versions, no six-cylinder coupes to detract from the image. Chassis to be shared with the Commander 120.5 sedan and wagon.

Trucks: quit production at the Chippewa plant, negotiate with IH or REO to integrate Studebaker truck production into their assembly plants. Decide whether to exit the truck market by 1960 if demand continued to wane.

South Bend plants: reduce the footprint of old plants as much as possible, utilize Chippewa for all Commander and Hawk production, integrate the Champion-Lark compact with expansion.

Studebaker President: kick it over to the 122"wb Packard platform for EGB production. Essentially what was built as the Clipper Deluxe and Super becomes the President with 320ci V8.

Packard Executive: elevate and rename the Clipper Custom to a higher-content 127" wb sedan and hardtop, essentially what had been the '55 Patrician and 400.

Packard Patrician and 400: lengthened to 133"wb, add 3" to the front clip, 3" to the rear passenger area, add a Dietrich Brougham, and a four door hardtop. Designed to challenge Cadillac 60 Special and Eldorado, Imperial LeBaron as fully-equipped and finely-crafted luxury motorcars of impressive length.

Notice this plan takes Packard completely out of medium-priced cars.......sound good?

Steve