Re: Ok, I'm calling your bluff. Show me how Packards were "better".

Posted by Mahoning63 On 2012/7/19 6:43:02

The many comparisons to Rolls-Royce in this thread points to the divergent paths that Europe and America were on by the mid-30s with respect to luxury car design. Look at how it all came to a head in 1957. Jaguar and Rolls... tall, traditional lines and grill. Cadillac Eldorado Brougham - a big 4-door Corvette. Look again in 1981. Rolls stagnating, Cadillac softened like an athlete 20 years retired, Mercedes the crisp new flag bearer that reconciled sport and tradition into one car and added German engineering and efficiency.

The industry is still young, car companies are still iterating, still searching for the perfect luxury car. Is it a long, low-slung sedan or a short, tall, roomy, utilitarian crossover? Maybe something in between? Is it a normally aspirated V8 or a more complicated but efficient gas turbo direct injection inline 4 or V6?

Certainly Packard quality and craftsmanship were two things that have always constituted automotive excellence. There were other elements too, areas that proved more challenging for Packard and many others and continue to this day.