'58 Lincoln-based Packard idea
Posted by Mahoning63 On 2011/8/1 10:25:57
Here's a thought for Packard survival in the late 50s. Strike a deal with Ford to use the new '58 Lincoln unibody platform and Wixom assembly plant. Not a merger with all its baggage, which Ford didn't want. Nor a car that would compete directly with Lincoln in price, like the '57 shared body shell proposal. The carrot for this deal would be that since the '58 Lincoln and T-Bird were expensive new stand-alone products for Ford that had little in common with the rest of the company's line-up, Packard would help pay for the program. Not initially... they were broke. Instead through a percentage of the profit from each '58 Packard sold. As an added inducement the new Wixom plant would get added volume, thus reducing its per unit cost. To ensure no cannibalization between the two cars, the Packard would sell for 25% more than the Lincoln. Packard would pay for its own new tooled parts like exterior stampings, but the bankers might have gone for it since one of the Big 2-1/2 was involved and bankrolling most of the program. Combined with the '57 Studebaker-based Clipper the new showroom might have seen Packard through its darkest days.
As to the car's design, the new Lincoln looked suspiciously like Packard's 57/58 design proposal anyway. Packard could have kept the roof and all inner body stampings. To make the Packard top end, the hood could have been extended several inches. Otherwise it was simply a task of smoothing out the Lincoln body sides and adapting a Packard front and rear clip. The big question would have involved the mechanicals. Historical accounts suggest that Utica had to go no matter which survival scenario was chosen. Painful though it might have been to Packard's pride, the Lincoln 430 V8 and transmission would probably not have detracted from the car. Perhaps Packard's "Plus" could have focused on suspension engineering, adapting Torsion-Level to the new unibody and maybe an independent rear. Here's a Lincoln/Packard image comparison.
Long term, Chrylser might have been the better and more willing partner to share platforms with but for 1958, Lincoln had the design and quite possibly the motivation.
All thoughts welcome!
Attach file:
(33.39 KB)
(32.11 KB)
As to the car's design, the new Lincoln looked suspiciously like Packard's 57/58 design proposal anyway. Packard could have kept the roof and all inner body stampings. To make the Packard top end, the hood could have been extended several inches. Otherwise it was simply a task of smoothing out the Lincoln body sides and adapting a Packard front and rear clip. The big question would have involved the mechanicals. Historical accounts suggest that Utica had to go no matter which survival scenario was chosen. Painful though it might have been to Packard's pride, the Lincoln 430 V8 and transmission would probably not have detracted from the car. Perhaps Packard's "Plus" could have focused on suspension engineering, adapting Torsion-Level to the new unibody and maybe an independent rear. Here's a Lincoln/Packard image comparison.
Long term, Chrylser might have been the better and more willing partner to share platforms with but for 1958, Lincoln had the design and quite possibly the motivation.
All thoughts welcome!
Attach file:
(33.39 KB)
(32.11 KB)
This Post was from: https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=82762