An interesting aside - and irony - is that the early prototype Hydramatics had eight speeds. When GM introduced Hydramatic, they had whittled it down to four and were working toward eliminating one more gear set for a three speed transmission. The irony is that six, seven and even eight speed automatics are now commonplace.

I'll take an XL in blue and one in olive, please.

"Ahhh... but Brownlie's illustration does not depict a lower roof. Only the illusion of one."

Fooled me!

Agreed that vent wing on the Plainsman ruined it!

Now here's one for everyone who has mentioned the Plainsman - note how the rear portion of the roof on the Plainsman resembles the would-have-been roof on the '57 Four Hundred hardtop - but flipped around.

On the subject of how design ideas migrate - I've long had a theory that Nance took that Packard Four Hundred roof line with him to Lincoln-Mercury. Consider the roof on the '58-'60 Lincolns and the roof on the '63-'66 Mercurys, even though Nance was long gone from Ford Motor Company when those Mercurys went into production.

Attach file:

---

  (67.39 KB)


  (84.54 KB)

hee hee... I didn't necessarily mean that as a pat on Brownlee's back - rather it is just an observation. I have no idea who was the first to come up with the overall shape of that roofline, so I'm not suggesting that it was Brownlee.

Be all of that as it may, the Brownlee roofline is obviously intended to drop lower than the planned Patrician roofline. Nevertheless, the overall shape of the two is remarkably similar.

To my eye, the Brownlee designs look more GM than they look Packard. Of the planned '57 Packards, the Patrician is my least favorite principally because of that roofline. On the other hand, I think the Four Hundred four door hardtop would have been sensational.

What was in the back of my mind - but I didn't write it in my comment - that I find it remarkable how design similarities happen across the spectrum of automotive design at any given time. The "dogleg" and the compound convex windshield was a hot thing in the mid-'50s. I wonder how much "looking over the shoulder" goes on among designers.

I am also aware that some design elements are driven by engineering for the very reasons you point out.

You and I are almost neighbors! I live in Dixon...

I find it interesting that the roof line of all three Briggs/Brownlee designs shown is very similar to what was planned for the '57 Patrician sedan. Also, the upswept line just forward of the tail lights is very similar to what would have been on the '57s.

Attach file:

---

  (17.55 KB)


  (24.14 KB)


  (22.02 KB)


  (21.48 KB)

In most markets, Mercedes markets the "A"-class and the "B"-class, both smaller and less expensive than the "C"-class we get as the "starter" model Mercedes in the U.S.

For a photo of the "A"-class, see my post <a href="http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/2013/10/gearhead-tuesday_15.html">HERE</a>.

More on the subject <a href="http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/2013/10/gearhead-tuesday_22.html">HERE</a>.