Hello...

Yes, one story is that a Pan American is located in France... but I don't know much more than that. Trying to track down any information on this car.

Thanks!

Hello... just Pan Americans. Panthers are a whole separate matter in this regard, but are another favorite subject.

Anyway, still trying to locate the Pan American rumored to be in Europe or any info related to it and others. Also trying to get info on the Pan American featured on a TV show many years ago with horses jumping it. Thanks for asking.

What everyone needs to remember is that the Packard plant on East Grand Blvd, in Detroit is over a mile long. I believe it is the largest industrial structure in this hemisphere that is abandoned. And frankly, I think the Tucker Plant near Chicago may have been larger in some ways. I know of a Russian car plant that was longer... but was a disaster.

But what you see today of the Packard Plant is only 3/5ths of what USED to be there originally. When the Edsel Ford Freeway was put in Very late 1950s/early 1960s), the northern end of the plant was cut off. There once were additional buildings and even a small test track oval north of what is now the Expressway and Harper Avenue. Some of this was acquired by Chrysler and Oilite Bearings... and other entities. Some merely demolished and cleared for the Expressway. I can assure you that numerous Conner plants would have fit on the Grand Blvd. property where the Packard Plant is/was located.

There were other huge plants in Detroit and surrounding area, but most of them are gone now. And many people today insist that the huge old Ford plant with the chimneys that spelled out F-O-R-D was in Detroit. Nope. It was in Highland Park and to any real Detroiter from the glory days of the city, HP was a completely separate city...their own city hall, police force, etc. No self repeating Detroiter from those old days would have ever referred to any of the suburbs or the two contained cities as "Detroit." Detroit at one time was so big and populous that it actually included two completely separate cities WITHIN its boundaries. Those were Highland Park and Hamtramck. Dodge Main was huge... but in Hamtramck.

As for fires in the plant, these are mostly set in few areas that either have wood OVERLAYS, fittings, or of items that are (for whatever reason) in the building. Or accelerants spilled around and set aflame. Most of the structures themselves are of poured, reinforced concrete-which is one of the marvels of that plant and also why it has managed to remain mostly standing despite all of the terror it has had to endure over many years. Unlike the towers that fell in New York that depended on integrity of an outer skin and central column, these buildings are either concrete filled with rebar or I-beam construction covered in concrete and not to dizzying heights. So the pancaking of one floor section dropping to another is never going to bring the whole thing down.

Anyway... I try not to look at the present photos of the plant. Too painful for me. I prefer to concentrate on the memories of how it looked when my Dad and I would drive underneath that magnificent Packard Bridge and see the lights glowing inside and the smokestacks whisping a faint gray... and the smell of lacquer and welding in the air. And new, glistening Packards sitting in the storage lot at the railhead, awaiting transport to dealers and customers. THAT is a memory I shall never forget.

Hello, yes, I am very aware of Mr. Marano's excellent collection and have seen it personally. But I'm looking for info and photos on other Pan Americans that he does not own. Thank you.

Wanted! Looking for information and unusual photos (I already have many) of the Packard Pan American concept cars. Also looking for present owners of these cars for very in-depth historical article. Does anyone know the whereabouts of the car shown being jumped by horses on a popular TV show in the 1950s-60s? Who owned it then and what became of it? Does anyone know of a Pan American located in Europe and who owns it, etc? Thanks!

One must remember-or at least take into account-that there was a lot more of the Packard plant once in years before the Edsel Ford Expressway was dug in and the northern end of the facility (and Harper Avenue) was whacked off. At one time there was a test track and other facilities/buildings NORTH of Harper (where the Ford Expressway is now). The entire Packard Plant originally was more than a mile long.

The building (with the white roof) on the Harper end of Concord was originally built in conjunction with the Packard Merlin Engine, but also served other functions under Packard. After Packard left, this building was occupied by Essex Wire Corporation and had some offices in it. Essex Wire also had another former Packard building located on the Mt. Elliott side of the Packard railroad tracks and along side of the Ford Expressway.

Also, much of the reason why the plant became so isolated (aside from city battles over taxes, greed and other reasons) was that very freeway. Grand Blvd WAS the main traffic artery in Detroit in that area until Edsel Ford Freeway was completed. After that, it was like the same thing that happened to Route 66 after the big new federal interstates were built. The steady stream of cars on Grand Blvd. past the plant was slowed to a trickle after the expressway was built.

The overgrown green area to the right of the photo showing the Packard Bridge used to be the main employee's parking lot. It was once packed with cars on any weekday. some of them even Packards!

Looks like an early 1955 not far separated from the Howard Hughes/Jean Peters Caribbean. But the big "AC" decal on the front carburetor collar on the air cleaner is dead wrong anyway.

And the factory never installed VIN plates in the door jamb with modern pop rivets. In fact, the holes on the VIN plate should have nothing in them. At least one of the antenna masts appears to be a front-mount unit.

Red wire on the choke appears to be because someone has pulled the bi-metal covers on the chokes for some odd reason.

At least as far as V8 Caribbean restos go, this is one of the better ones. I get physically ill when I see what happened to the beautiful Dover White/Scottish Heather/Maltese Gray 1956 I used to drive around SoCal... that is now painted awful black (and that interior...UGH!) and selling back & forth in auctions for megabux!

BigKev... No need to defend the post. And no need to explain what it said. I read it. But nowhere in my response to the post was there any mention of "malice intended"... this word, concept, implication was never mentioned-except in YOUR post. Show me where the post I made stated this? I am sure that whomever posted my work meant well... and I never said otherwise. I even thanked the person for the plug. I am sorry if you found this offensive.

However, this article and information was not merely some filler piece or just another car article. It was a milestone since no one, no article, no book, no verbal or written work had ever assembled this information on the Panthers before I did. And there was never an accurate accounting of the Panthers made prior to this article- no matter how many years ago it was. Don't take my word for it- you can go check all of the books and articles yourself. Much of the information in this piece was saved by me since the 1950s-and while not attributed to me in the article-most of the unusual original photos in it also came from me. I knew these cars personally. The fact that people are still arguing, guessing and speculating over the Packard Panthers ought to point up the importance of knowing the facts. It was bad enough that large parts of this Packard Cormorant article ended up in a car magazine afterward with someone else's name on it. So pardon moi if this is a sore spot, but my work is my work and whether it is an automotive design I did or an article I wrote, I have a right to say so.

And since you brought it up that this person has done pieces for the Cormorant magazine, etc... then it should have been ALLLLlll the easier to simply ask permission to post it in an internet forum. A very simple matter- even if only out of courtesy and respect, if not out of legality. What is so malicious about that? I have worked in the automotive industry and written for over 35 years and even I get stopped and quizzed at Kinko's for trying to copy my own stuff! THEY know about copyrights. So if it is offensive for one to even state that permission ought to be sought before publishing copyrighted work, then we might as well abolish the U.S. Copyright office and the entire concept of intellectual property!

It is sad and disappointing today with the internet that so many people seem to bristle when anyone even dares to mention the concept of copyrights and protection of intellectual property. Again...one more time...thanks for the plug.

A lot of people have forgotten that factory-authorized accessories and accessories offered by dealers were two different animals. There were several Packard dealers that offered GM/Delco's Autronic Eye- even though it was not in the salesman's book of official accessories.

Earle C. Anthony offered these units in 1955-56 and possibly earlier as their own accessory. I bought a 56 Patrician many years ago from an old lady in Hollywood and it was equipped with Autronic Eye. She hated it because she could not understand how it worked and got stopped by the LAPD for flashing her headlights at them (the unit was not adjusted properly)! They also sold a vacuum ashtray accessory as well. So did other dealers. I had both a '55 and a '56 Four Hundred so equipped with the ashtray.

One of my 1956 Caribbeans came with a GM/Delco Autronic Eye laying in a box in the trunk. It had never been installed but was painted to match the vehicle interior.

Also there was the Packard Esquire (as written up years ago in the Packard Club's Cormorant magazine). These rare cars also featured Autronic Eye.

And GM sold the Autronic Eye unit- as an accessory in general as well as official dealer and factory-installed options. You could buy a whole Autronic Eye kit through a Delco Electric dealer.

Eventually, these units came with a special 3-position floor-mounted headlight headlight dimmer switch which eliminated the need for two switches.

So. There is every possibility that your car had this item installed when new.

I understand that Packard had planned to have this feature anyway for 1957. Lincoln, Imperial, Continental as well as several GM cars would have it. Ford and Chrysler licensed their units from GM anyway into the 1960s.

The article in the Spring, 1984 issue of The Packard Cormorant was indeed copyrighted, so yes, it is a violation of same to copy it and post it. While it is nice to see references to the Panther Story and The Panther Log, it is nicer when folks ask permission to print or reproduce parts of the article.

By the way, The Panther Log was originally a collaborative effort between Leon Dixon and George Hamlin, however I have since updated the log to the present.

In recent years, some people have touted the silver-gray car as it exists today as THE Mitchell-Bentley car, but in fact, the car that was originally owned by Mitchell-Bentley is the yellow/bronze car with the removable hardtop,side windows and 55 rear tail lights.

Thanks anyway for the plug.