Re: What SINGLE factor MOST contributed to the demise of Packard?

Posted by 58L8134 On 2013/10/24 18:47:26

Hi

Good points all, more so because the discussion is civil and respectful, something not found on many automotive forums. Anyway, dissertation time:

As to the single factor, the loss of focus on the upper series lines after the 120 introduction was prelude to and beginning of the slide into complacency of the postwar years. Had management decided to keep the Senior series up-to-date, completely new, all-steel bodies, exclusive to Super Eights powered by an all-new mono-block straight eight, a 356 ci years earlier if you will, would have been in place for 1937, 1938 at the latest. The Twelve would have been included in the update. Consider that the '38 Super Eight was nothing more than a slightly restyled '35 Eight fitted with IFS, still carrying a composite body and multi-piece engine. Wonderful cars that they are, even the Twelve was an anachronism by 1939.

When management finally reacted to the changing premium/luxury market expectations, mostly driven by the inroads Cadillac was making into their segment dominance, they opted to generally follow the Cadillac model, simply upgrading medium-priced basics, into the 'pocket' luxury car. Rather than creating a new Super Eight which took advantage of the newly-instituted manufacturing economies but presented a specifically designed and engineered line distinctly differentiated from the 120, the 1939 Super 8 was part and parcel an upgrade '38 Eight. It was very much their version of the Cadillac 60 which was heavily based on the LaSalle 50 and Buick Century. What they missed was that Cadillac had also developed a unique product in the 60 Special sharing only the 60 Series mechanicals but unlikely to be confused with those middle-priced shared line-mate models.

All this culminated in the 1940 lines which were so poorly differentiated that the general public could no longer tell a 120 versus 160, whether the owner had spent $1,200 or $1,700 for his Packard. A fine new mono-block 356 straight eight and high standard interior were insufficient to differentiate the 160 & 180 when stuffed into bodies the public had been buying in Six/110 and Eight/120 for far less money. People were no different then than now, when they spent the additional money, they wanted others to recognized they had done so to purchased a luxury car. Although, easier with the longer-wheelbase models, the bulk of sales would be the 127" wb 160 models that should have been their volume seller.

Opposite the critical 160 were the new Cadillac 62 C-body Torpedo sedans which took the 60 Special three-box architecture, translating it into a popular, mass market style. It arrived in a market seeming primed to accept new and progressive styling. While it's true that body series was shared all the way down to Pontiac Torpedo Eight, at each price level, there would be no confusion who spent how much to buy their selection.
Even at the upper end, everyone knew a Buick Roadmaster 70 was a step below a LaSalle Special 52 which was below a Cadillac 62. As trivial as those distinction might seem now, they very definitely defined the prestige value of each marque.

Had Packard maintained a sharp enough visual differentiation between their various price segment models, dilution of it Senior cars would not have occurred. Had they maintain those differentiations and distinction, as it entered the fierce postwar market competition, promoting higher percentages of his Supers and Custom Supers might have been far more successful than it was.

Steve