Re: The Sudden End of the Detroit Packards

Posted by Dave Brownell On 2014/1/25 14:10:39

Like the Chinese curse, Packard's last three Michigan years were "interesting." While I agree that no amount of speculating can un-do what seems like a shame, there must have been a lot of bad feelings going on among still-familiar names including Romney, Ford and McNamara that took its toll. George Romney, as President of the American Auto Manufacturer's Association was courted by Christopher and McCauley to be the new president of Packard in 1948. He turned them down and the "Hotpoint Hotshot", James Nance took the job in 1952. Romney, instead, went with George Mason's Nash-Kelvinator as it merged with Hudson. He scuttled Mason's merger plans with Nance's Studebaker-Packard, partly out of a dislike for Nance and his opportunism. Oh-well. We know how that ended. AMC would last another thirty years.

Looking at the final 1956 product in my garage, I am wondering who was deciding things at Packard when the final big cars were planned. Where were the engineering cost-cutters when the new trunk lids were fitted over the previous trunk's steel sub-structure? Did the 56's really need Autolite's pushbutton transmission to sell cars? Who said 12 volt negative ground had to happen? A whole new (but similar) front bumper and die-cast grille in an early (chrome) and later (gold anodized) grill? New rear axles and brake drums. And that 56 trunk latch is an engineering work of art! Richard Teague's head must have been swimming with all of these approved model changes as the circling of the drain was beginning. Not that I don't appreciate the changes, but the bean counters, today, would be having fits. Maybe that's the lesson that was learned. I'd say that the 56s went out with a very level and smooth Big Bang. Excellent to the end!