Re: Men bet their lives on it - the Packard-built Merlin V-12

Posted by Dave Brownell On 2017/3/29 9:42:48

Another thing I noted with some amazement was that while Henry Ford declined the Merlin engine building contract in the US, his British Ford subsidiary built almost as many Merlins as Packard in Manchester. That was news to me, but I suppose they didn't have the challenges that Packard had because of the Whitworth tool building requirements.

I still think it is ironic that GM (in its North American Aviation unit) built Mustangs (P-51s) long before Ford did in 1964. And Charley Wilson did put a significant nail in Packard's coffin when they pulled some critical defense contracts at the end of the Korean conflict. The Perfect Storm of all those reasons for Packard's demise could not have been more complicated. No wonder we're still talking about it sixty years later. But remember, 72 years ago men bet their lives on it.