Re: Why did Packard abandon the shovel-nose grille?

Posted by Kevin On 2016/1/13 17:15:21

All we can do is speculate at this point, but one reason might be cost-cutting. The Light Eight was carried over into the Tenth Series, but was given a conventional grille shell and scuttle. I don't remember offhand if it was just the bodies that carried over, or if the chassis was continued as well, just with the front end ensemble change. Fewer die changes in the stamping plant reduces costs for time and labor and die maintenance. It maybe could have been justified if the volumes were there, but they just weren't. And the scooped grille itself may have been difficult to chrome plate and to finish.

It could also have been a quality issue. Maybe the stampings and die castings were notoriously difficult to produce, and Packard decided to save money and go with the tried and true.

Another possibility is the prestige factor. Some people may have thought the Light Eight was the most modern and stylish of the Ninth Series, but others may have seen its unique appearance as immediately telegraphing to your neighbors that you bought the cheapest, bargain Packard and not a regular "real" Packard.

And it may have been a marketing issue. Maybe they received feedback from their clientele that the Light Eight didn't look as substantial and imposing as the other Packards.

It's possible there could be some discussion of this topic in the PMCC's board minutes, but I don't remember seeing that particular research. I do know that many years ago, The Packard Cormorant magazine of The Packard Club (PAC) had a feature on how the Light Eight bodies were continued as a more conventional looking 1933 Packard Eight 1001.