Re: The Greatest Packards of Them All

Posted by BH On 2022/7/10 10:04:28

I ordered this title shortly after this topic appeared.

I have nothing against the use of media mail, but this package came to Western Penna. by way of Dallas TX, and arrived late. No wonder the postal system keeps losing money. Also, the package was in pretty rough shape by the time it arrived - dirty and with one corner crushed. However, the books survived, thanks to Dwight's use of heavy stock for the pages. While the wire comb binding was deformed near the top of Volume Two, I nudged it back into shape. It will be awhile before I have time to read this set from cover to cover, but I paged through both volumes to make sure that everything else was OK.

I've been looking for a book like this for decades. With all due respect to all, if it weren't for my late father's ownership of a brand-new 56 Executive, I would never have gotten interested in Packards.

Over the intervening years, I collected a lot of literature on the V8s, but was surprised by the details on the proposed V12 - more than what the well-known, stretched V8 illustration could ever tell you.

I especially looked forward to the info on the 57s. Back when I first started reading about Packards, there was just that one picture of Black Bess circulating around, and I thought it was just a hastily cobbled-up 56 Clipper. This books show that it was clearly not and that a lot of time and engineering went into it. Yet, I wonder if Packard, after all the talk of issues with the 55-56 cars, would have been able to do any better with the 57s.

As for moving to Conner being a bad decision, I'll have to disagree. It's one thing to talk about moving body assembly, paint, glass and trim to East Grand, but what about sheet metal stamping? I once toured Chrysler's Twinsbirg OH plant, which had been a Briggs facility, and can tell you that it takes a lot of additional infrastructure to accommodate a stamping facility. Just one panel has to go through a series of dies and presses.

These books are a must read.