Re: Ex-Packard Designers
Posted by Leeedy On 2014/8/4 9:27:32
Quote:
Hello. Yes, Dave Scott's Plainsman roof influenced a whole string of cars. But so did the design work of Dick MacAdam, Dick Teague and the great Bill Schmidt. Few seem to realize this today, but the Plainsman's stepped roof was actually intended to be an airscoop for the flow-through ventilation to rear seat passengers! Thus the reason for the step. And yessss, it worked. Ask me how I know.
As far as Nance taking Packard designs with him to FoMoCo... if I recall he got stuck on the Edsel project (we all know where that went-but it also had many similarities to the proposed 1957 Packards) and ultimately Lincoln-Mercury. But while JJN probably had some input and influence over at L-M, the designs for 1958-60 Lincolns and Continentals were pretty much already set by the time he arrived there. So let's not attribute this all to JJN... but instead Ford stylist-gone-Packard, Bill Schmidt. Bill had BIG influence on the Detroit 1957 Packards that never got built. AND Bill probably had serious input on the Predictor, although my friend, Tom Beaubien says that Dick MacAdam was Predictor's primary designer. Tom ought to know since he is one of two men who actually built the original Predictor scale model upon which the actual car was based!
You can read alllllllllll about the roof, design migrations (and yes, that actual term is used), and the similarities of 1958-60 Continental (not Lincoln) to Predictor in the Summer, 2008 issue of The Packard Cormorant magazine #131. This back issue is available through The Packard Club. The history of the Predictor was written in this issue by Leon Dixon.
Finally, if you look very closely at the top leading edge of the roof (above the windshield) on the 1957 Four Hundred photo shown you will see something else never mentioned, but kindred to the Plainsman. Roof vents. While I don't believe the 1957 vents were real in the proposal, there WAS talk of making them operational so that windows did not have to be rolled down for flow-through ventilation. Where would the air go once inside? Take a look at the rear view illustration of a 1957 Packard. See those black slots above the rear window? Exit vents... uh... just like at the base of the backlite window on 1964 Thunderbird. And who else was trying air vents at the top of the windshield in 1957?? Try 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser. Yesss, it had adjustable air vents at the top corners of its windshield.
Oh... and where did Dick MacAdam end up? Why... over at Chrysler, of course!
Packard5687 wrote:
"Ahhh... but Brownlie's illustration does not depict a lower roof. Only the illusion of one."
Fooled me!
Agreed that vent wing on the Plainsman ruined it!
Now here's one for everyone who has mentioned the Plainsman - note how the rear portion of the roof on the Plainsman resembles the would-have-been roof on the '57 Four Hundred hardtop - but flipped around.
On the subject of how design ideas migrate - I've long had a theory that Nance took that Packard Four Hundred roof line with him to Lincoln-Mercury. Consider the roof on the '58-'60 Lincolns and the roof on the '63-'66 Mercurys, even though Nance was long gone from Ford Motor Company when those Mercurys went into production.
Hello. Yes, Dave Scott's Plainsman roof influenced a whole string of cars. But so did the design work of Dick MacAdam, Dick Teague and the great Bill Schmidt. Few seem to realize this today, but the Plainsman's stepped roof was actually intended to be an airscoop for the flow-through ventilation to rear seat passengers! Thus the reason for the step. And yessss, it worked. Ask me how I know.
As far as Nance taking Packard designs with him to FoMoCo... if I recall he got stuck on the Edsel project (we all know where that went-but it also had many similarities to the proposed 1957 Packards) and ultimately Lincoln-Mercury. But while JJN probably had some input and influence over at L-M, the designs for 1958-60 Lincolns and Continentals were pretty much already set by the time he arrived there. So let's not attribute this all to JJN... but instead Ford stylist-gone-Packard, Bill Schmidt. Bill had BIG influence on the Detroit 1957 Packards that never got built. AND Bill probably had serious input on the Predictor, although my friend, Tom Beaubien says that Dick MacAdam was Predictor's primary designer. Tom ought to know since he is one of two men who actually built the original Predictor scale model upon which the actual car was based!
You can read alllllllllll about the roof, design migrations (and yes, that actual term is used), and the similarities of 1958-60 Continental (not Lincoln) to Predictor in the Summer, 2008 issue of The Packard Cormorant magazine #131. This back issue is available through The Packard Club. The history of the Predictor was written in this issue by Leon Dixon.
Finally, if you look very closely at the top leading edge of the roof (above the windshield) on the 1957 Four Hundred photo shown you will see something else never mentioned, but kindred to the Plainsman. Roof vents. While I don't believe the 1957 vents were real in the proposal, there WAS talk of making them operational so that windows did not have to be rolled down for flow-through ventilation. Where would the air go once inside? Take a look at the rear view illustration of a 1957 Packard. See those black slots above the rear window? Exit vents... uh... just like at the base of the backlite window on 1964 Thunderbird. And who else was trying air vents at the top of the windshield in 1957?? Try 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser. Yesss, it had adjustable air vents at the top corners of its windshield.
Oh... and where did Dick MacAdam end up? Why... over at Chrysler, of course!
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