Re: 1935 - Turning Point and What-Ifs

Posted by Steve203 On 2015/8/30 18:05:06

Making both a junior and a senior line on the same platform makes a lot of sense. Some have put part of the blame for AMC's failure on platform proliferation which strained the company's finances by having to keep, with the advent of the Pacer, three platforms up to date at the same time.

It would have probably been better if Packard could have had a secondary brand for the cheaper line, like Lincoln had Zephyr, Chrysler had DeSoto and Cadillac had LaSalle, to get into a higher volume price class, without devaluing the Packard brand.

Packard could have bought the rights to Auburn for a song in 37, but 37 was probably too late. Stutz failed in 35. They would have had to move on a mid market brand in the early 30s....about the time Studebaker went bankrupt in 33, but Studebaker would bring baggage that liquidated companies like Auburn and Stutz would not bring.

Of the alternatives, I like Auburn because it was known for stylish, moderately priced cars powered by flathead sixes and straight eights. The timeline is just not optimal.