Re: Ex-Packard Designers

Posted by Dave Brownell On 2014/7/18 13:49:58

These days, it is not unusual for a car body style to stay largely unchanged for upwards of five years or more. For example, an Impala or Corolla might have some plastic changes to the bumper covers, but the metal fenders remain the same. But when both Packard and Hudson stretched a body style four or five years, their sales suffered the consequences.

How Teague got away with some of his changes to the 56 line still amazes me. For instance, the senior squared 56 trunk lid outer metal stamping is unique, but the inner frame for that lid appears to be one used on the earlier, curvier cars, making the whole lid amortization for a part spread out over less than 11,000 cars produced. Little changes must have cost PMCC big bucks, like when he eliminated the gold vee on the 55 cathedral tail light castings in favor of the 56's red hexigon reflector. But, conversely, those graceful and blended-in exterior door handles stayed the same from 1951 until 1956. Did Teague catch the cost accountants napping, or was he just persuasive in getting some of his ideas approved? Today's Toyota, Ford or FIAT-Chrysler would never let that sort of designer foolishness go on. I'll give my 56 trunk lid and taillights a special wink, knowing that someone like Dick made them special for the year. And I hope that I never have to hunt down a replacement for a one-year-only part.

Meanwhile, over at GM, the car line obsolescence was taken to a new height when virtually the entire 1958 model year was replaced after only twelve months. By comparison, a mild re-skinning of the 1958 AMC cars that sold well must have made George Romney look like a genius to industry accountants.