Re: New "What Ifs?"

Posted by Dave Brownell On 2014/8/15 8:27:57

At long last, I am reading the excellent story (he didn't write it, but he told it) of John DeLorean: On A Clear Day You Can See General Motors. DeLorean started at Chrysler but moved to Packard about 1952, where he worked with McFarland on the new Twin Ultramatic engineering. He must have seen something positive there to make that move. His four years at Packard were recalled as productive and happy. He left in 1956 after Detroit had been shut down as Packard's Research and Development chief. On September 1, 1956 he started his meteoric climb with a move to General Motors. Out of necessity, it became his version of jumping from a frying pan into a bureaucratic fire.

Today's announcement that Cadillac is building a $174 million stamping plant next to their second newest plant in Lansing might be a lesson Packard could have used sixty-one years ago, had time travel (DeLorean, again?) been possible. 145 jobs come with that new stamping plant, but that's with tons of automation. In Packard's day, it might have been thousands hired to get the same productivity.

Finally, my October 2014 issue of Hemming's Classic Car came yesterday. Of the five letters from readers, three were on the subject of Packard and two of them were somewhat consistent with our What If's theme. There are a lot of people who miss Packard and what they think might have happened. Apparently, they're not confined to this forum.