Re: New "What Ifs?"

Posted by Steve203 On 2014/6/28 9:54:43

Packard outsourced to Briggs in 1940 or thereabouts. So did many other auto makers. Not just bodies but many other parts.

Yes, it is routine, to this day, to outsource many small parts. In the 50s, as today, it was routine to outsource steering to Gemmer, wheels and brakes to Kelsey Hayes, transmissions to Borg Warner, and stampings to Budd, or any of the other stamping plants in the area.

Body building was another matter. Briggs had been losing customers for years as companies brought body building in house. Even Hudson had it's own body plant. Kaiser assembled and trimed bodies itself at Willow Run. And the Ward book says that quality issues with Briggs bodies had been an ongoing problem for years, so Packard was not helping itself by outsourcing.

I am more disappointed by the all new 51s. It would have been a sensation in 1948, but by 1951 was just another car, that looked like the 1948 Cadillac and Futuramic Oldsmobile 98.

Actually, the 51 Packard styling was pretty advanced. Note how flat the hood is, with the fender tops almost level with the center of the hood. Cadillac didn't have that until 57. Same thing with the rear fenders and trunk lid. The early 50s Cadillacs still reflected the prewar trend of having the tops of the fenders lower than the trunk lid. The detailing of the Packard, the grill and some of the trim on the side doesn't come off too well, but the basic shell was fine.