Quote:
Packard Don wrote:
Interesting car with a 1955 front clip and 1956 side trim. Could it have been a very late test car or prototype of some sort, especially as it’s supposedly original and unmolested?
The car on the FB posting appears to merely be a 1955 Four Hundred that has 1956 side trim added. This was a common thing done when the 1956 models debuted. It was an easy custom trick. A lot of Four Hundreds around Detroit back then were so customized like this.
These things weren't done to a car to "get it off of the lot" but rather because people like the look and having tricked-out options in the 1950s. Customizing and adding accessories were king in the 1950s.
Adding such stuff to a Packard didn't make it cheaper, nor would it necessarily make it sell faster. It was what people wanted.
In an era where cars changed every 365 days, it was the thing to do. People were always trying to make last year's car look like this year's new model. That's how it was in the 1950s and 1960s.
This particular Four Hundred is not just fitted with a 1955 front clip, but also a 1955 decklid and decklid trim. This it is highly unlikely to be any kind of a "prototype." I can recognize those.
However, the one VERY rare thing that no one seems to have noticed is that this car has a very rare option for 1955: patent-leather interior! Black patent leather and gray fabric. Yes, it is in the 1955 dealer color and upholstery book. Very rare option to find and something few would notice today, but a rage in 1955.
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