Re: 1955-57 What-If Line-Up

Posted by 55PackardGuy On 2010/11/24 0:29:55

I agree that Lincoln had the squared-off aircraft carrier styling before anyone else, and for my money the "C" pillar of the '58 is all Predictor. Also, the "A" pillar of many of the late 50's Ford products share this design as well, with the windshield's reward slant met by the forward slanting side glass.

If you look at the "C" pillar of a '55 Packard 2-door you can see the budding v-shape that eventually turned into the "reverse slant" window style. It's a look that I really don't like in the Predictor. Even when the rear window slopes the "correct" direction like it did on the Fords. It kind of reminds me of an old-fashioned carriage top. The all-new baby-buggy look for 1958?

Lincoln really touted the squared-off slab-sided design, compared with what they called the "old-fashioned" tail fins. There's an old Lincoln TV ad on you-tube where they show it next to an El Dorado, and even though the Lincoln is still wretched excess, you can see their point about how it makes the Eldo look tacky and over-done.

BTW, Lincoln held onto the high, flat beltline and low roofline well into the '70s. I could see Packard having stayed on that styling route, too, and fitting right in. Now, it's the Chrysler 300 and its ilk that have returned to the high beltline/low roofline design, which I think is quite successfully rendered-- and popular.

What goes around...