Re: '66 Packard Model Car

Posted by Mahoning63 On 2012/8/28 15:27:43

BH - your suggestion for a 67-69 T-Bird based Packard revival car is very interesting. The roofline certainly hints at Ex's proposal. The front axle-to-firewall is a bit short, in my judgment. My biggest gripe with these late 60s Birds and related Mk III, and to a lesser extent the '67 Eldorado, is that they seem too wide for their heights, lengths and side profile proportions. That's one reason I like the Ambassador. It has a nice width for a coupe. Add length to the hood, shorten the body a bit and bingo, a sporting luxury coupe.

F-line - yes sir, Chrysler might have benefitted from a Packard in its showroom. Or perhaps a Pierce-Arrow? I don't know, the company just didn't seem to have a handle on things. Some of Ex's ideas for the early 60s cars were too off the wall. Engle was a one-trick pony with his Continental and probably hurt Chrysler in the long run. Who would have penned the great new Packard? Probably Exner once he transitioned to his revival car mindset. That's the one incredible thing about him, he had so much depth, 10 times as much as the others. He continually experimented with design and was the better for it. A constant wellspring of new ideas.