Re: 1955-57 What-If Line-Up

Posted by 55PackardGuy On 2010/12/2 21:43:59

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Paul[/quote]

Thanks, my dad would appreciate that. The Vagabond hatch was very trick and easy to use. With the back seat folded down, the cargo area was enormous. My dad used it for a hunting car a number of times, and even with three other guys, (and 4 deer) they did NOT have to put any of them on the fender (the deer, not the guys... I don't think-- but wait, to get the deer in, they must have had to fold the seat down, thus it was either 4 guys across the front seat, or three and one on the fender... hmm.)


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Whoa, Paul, you're going in the direction I envisioned with the treatment of the quad headlights. I would go with the full-width grill, with direction signal lights at the corners, and vertical bars across the full width--just play with a '55 Clipper grille. The thing about the upright centered grille is it has a tendency to make the front look narrower, when wide is the look that was popular. The quad headlights alone help give the impression of a wider front. Adding the full width grille accentuates it even more. (I know, horizontal bars would add even more to the illusion, but I favor the vertical bars as faithful to the classic Packard radiator.)

It's commonly believed that the full width grilles starting with the Reinhardt bodies completely abandoned the "classic" Packard grille, but look closely and the shape is still there... it just is extended across the width of the car, with the horizontal ends cleverly tucked under the headlights, and the arch in the middle very evident. Even though the '48-'49-'50 cars held onto the "radiator" effect, they abandoned the vertical bars for the 'egg crate' look, which was resurrected for the '55 and '56 Seniors, and I don't believe had any other significant Packard history. It's very interesting to see how styling cues are integrated from much earlier models into later ones, in many makes of cars. My '65 Electra even had "running boards." You just had to look close.

The "Reynolds Wrap" typically refers to the wide chrome pieces running down each side of the '55 and '56 Seniors, (also with obvious "running board" styling--ridges with bright highlights on a black background). In my opinion, while they are striking and a bit daring, they do not "slim" the beltline as much as a contrasting paint stripe, which was used in lieu of the chrome on some trim levels. My only beef with the paint stripes is that they usually were in stark, contrasting colors. I would have gone for a more subtle look-- like for instance a black strip on a dark gray car, or a deep red on a burgundy car. Usually, the stripe would be a slightly lighter shade than the rest of the body, and the roof would match the stripe.

Running yet another color under the painted stripe, as was done on some Caribbeans for a 'three-tone' paint job, looked much too busy for a dignified Packard, IMO.

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