Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Hi

An entertaining overview, points to agree with, points to dispute, and comment on:

curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-am ... packard-history-falling-downmarket/

Steve

Interesting article but full of the usual errors. For example Packard stopped making 6 cylinder cars in 1947. Commercial models like ambulances and hearses were expected of luxury car makers. The pregnant whale or upside down bathtub 48s were best sellers and won style awards. They were right in the swim with the Kaiser and Frazer, 48 Hudson, 49 Nash, Mercury and Lincoln. All had similar styling themes.This look did not age well but in 1948 and 49 it was the height of fashion.

The straight eights were heavy but did not weigh 1000 lbs unless you include transmission and clutch.

Nance did not move the make up market, that was done years before he arrived. He may have tried to distance the Clipper from Packard but that was hardly a success.

On the whole I liked the article even though I disagree with parts of it.

It is difficult to evaluate 1951 styling with 2013 eyes. This fellow has not recently looked at the 1951 GM and Chrysler Corp. offerings. The Packard is on those terms sleek, clean and quite up to date and remained so through 53. OK, the grille was no stylistic triumph.....but was nicely tweaked and integrated by 53.

The pity is that Packard fielded only one high end car in 51-2, the Patrician. Mr. Nance should be given credit for pushing the expansion of high end models that occurred in 53 and 54.

Quote:

Almost... but no cigar.
For the benefit of future readers, Packard continued to produce 6 cylinder vehicles half-way through 1949 (22nd series export and taxi). Otherwise, I agree with you.

Hi

I might add that while six cylinder sedans weren't catalogued for public sale with the 1948 models, not a few dealers gladly ordered them for customers who demanded a six until the taxi production stopped. Decades ago, I ran across a couple such '48 Packard sixes in junkyards that had no signs of having been in taxi operation.

Steve

If you think there were errors in the Curbside Classics article, then don't read the replies section below it. There's no time nor space to delineate the myriad mis-statements in there.

jack vines

I found the grandmother's comment about her husband's new Packard: "A Packard! Who buys a Packard?" pretty consistent with comments I've heard from the period.

"It sure burned a lot of gas", "It was always emptying my purse for gasoline", and "Oh, you couldn't go around the block without putting gas in it" were told to me by the people who owned them.

The used car story is consistent with why so many Packards ended up in the hands of commuters like Ted Kavenagh who got the CCCA going. The train was an easy way to spot parked cars. In those days early CCCA members like Charlie Clancy bought a new 53 for his wife, and his father bought a new 55 Patrician. Turnquist couldn't afford a new car and drove a 38 Super 8. Clancy was a Harvard lawyer and had money, but held onto cars he bought when he was in college - Packards and Cadillacs bought for pennies.

Ken Fahnestock (the financial partner in Hibernia) bought a new 56 Carribean as did Hirsch.

In those days Kavenagh couldn't sell a nice original 1930 Packard sedan for $25.

For those who don't know, if you worked in New York City, you had an old car to drive to the railroad station and took the train into Manhattan. All along the way were stations with parked cars like Kavenagh's 1930 Packard Phaeton. I commuted by train into NYC back in the days of plenty and played bridge with a group of Bankers. There was also an ongoing poker game, and a Euchre table as well. The last old car along the main line I remember was a 37 Buick Special in Newark. Once upon a time New York was a good place to live.

Thanks for posting the article.

If you want to be an anorak I believe they made sixes for the White truck company up to 1951. But the last six cylinder catalog models for sale to the general public (not commercial, taxicab or special order) was 1947.

This is not a quibble. The original story implied that Packard ruined their name and reputation by building cheap six cylinder cars and Nance reversed this. In the first place, building six cylinder cars did not ruin their reputation, any more than building sixes ruined Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, BMW or Mercedes. In the second place, as far as the public was concerned, Packard made eight cylinder cars exclusively after 1947.

Other cars that were 8 cylinder only: Cadillac, Buick, Mercury, Lincoln (after 1948).

This put them in exclusive territory. Rivals like Chrysler, DeSoto, Oldsmobile, Hudson and Nash were selling in the Packard price range but all made six cylinder cars. Somehow this never counts with those who believe making sixes degraded the Packard name but never hurt anybody else.

I had read that artical a while ago and enjoyed it granted didn't know what was true and what wasn't but seems like they were pretty close for the most part.
I would think that some of their downfall was during the war when they stopped making cars and helped the nation with war machines. Don't know if that was just a Packard thing or did other brands do the same?