Re: Packard Seniors 1940-56

Posted by Mahoning63 On 2015/5/9 15:50:50

It sounds like Ferry and his Board had investmentphobia. They couldn't figure out how to make Packard tick like it had in the old days so they spent money only when pressed. For a car company that's a dangerous game. Initiative drives profits, not making like a squirrel and burying the company's nuts.

Am trying to imagine what would have become of Packard in the early Twenties had these folks been running it. "Our only viable car is the new Six so let's keep making it in shorty short wheelbase form and make a 5 inch longer body for our new top-of-line flagship, also powered by the Six."

And when the occasional off-the-wall suggestion to, hah? what? make a straight Eight??!!! came up, the sensible people in the room would say: "Why would we want to do that? That sounds too risky. No no no, we can't afford that, and who would buy it anyway? We need to guard our diminishing cash. No, let's just stay the course and see what everyone else does, and hope they don't do too much."

And with that Packard would have become an historical blip. Blip blop bloop.