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My 51 Patrician and Packard 300 that I just brought home last night !

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Fond memories for that particular combination of 51s. Dad bought a 51 300 new and a year or so later picked up a "like new" Patrician which I guess today would be called a certified used car. A few years later the 300 was traded and by the early 60s the Patrician was a cast off that was demoted to being mine to drive thru high school.

Driving a stodgy old Packard to a parking lot full of much newer or more teen desirable Fords, Chevys or Dodges, my social standing dropped several notches but still have nothing but high praise and overall good memories of that car. It suffered thru misguided attempts to have AC and power windows added and the removal of a probably beautiful wool broadcloth interior in favor of cheap oil cloth to look like (to me) high priced and more in fashion naugahyde. It also suffered thru the lack of many things in the maintenance department that a poverty stricken teenager could do (or not do) to mistreat, neglect or sometimes outright abuse a car. ln spite of all that I cannot remember a time it failed to start or any time it quit and caused me or my friends unscheduled exercise in the form of walking.

I love the orphans !

HotRod

Nice pair! Looks like the 300 may have had some modifications done to it? Doesn't look too bad being lowered a touch.

How are the cars mechanically and cosmetically? Are you going to restore both or is one a parts car?

-Kevin

I parted out a 1951 300 many, many years ago and still have its engine with Ultramatic attached! It was a former race car of some sort and had somehow had dual exhaust but no manifolds by the time I got it. After owning it for several years, I finally realized what it was about it that didn't look quite right: it had a 1954 roof! It had been grafted on so deftly that I hadn't noticed right away and even looking closely inside it was difficult to tell.