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My third attempt to post this:
I have a Pacific which is Ivory with maroon top (should be Chariot Red, which I plan to change to Ch. red lower, with black top, per available oem factory color scheme, matching the nice repro interior already installed).
Questions:
1. Someone installed an aftermarket cont. kit with correct packard hubcap, and it looks pretty nice, pre-resto.
2. Should I return the car to pre-cont. kit condition or should I keep the cont. kit?
3. The car will be a driver, but in Packard judging, how would the cont. kit affect its points or otherwise affect Packard judging?

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Just my two cents worth but I would leave it. The kit was an official option and aftermarket or not, you don't see that many of them. I don't know how much difference there was between a Packard offering and the aftermarket but it seems as if someone went to the trouble to at least get the correct hubcap. The rest of it appears to be very nicely done too. You do have the old standby of that type of option was often installed by dealers. As we have seen time and time again with AC and other big items, dealers did not necessarily install the official Packard offerings. Who is to say something aftermarket would not have been installed in the day and then driven off the dealers lot in a brand new car.

At this point in time, I expect there would be a relative few that could take one look and say it is not correct. You also have to weigh how much you would have to restore on the car or how hard it would be to find any pieces that might need to be changed if you did remove the kit.

If you can find some decent photos of the official kit and compare to yours, perhaps there are some minor changes that could be done to disguise any aftermarket parts that someone could easily recognize. Not sure if the chrome cover is appropriate but the accessory photo does appear to show a difference in finish between the cover and the rest of the unit. A two tone 54 Caribbean photo shows a body color on the cover. Perhaps something simple like that would be a place that might be changed.

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What was wrong? The timeout maybe? Before pressing the submit button, I copy everything.

Hi

Regarding the car pictured in the Continental Kit promotion, looks like a Club Sedan fitted with Senior taillights but a Clipper bumper. Note the disjoint in the right-hand bumper/gravel shield area, early photoshop?

Steve

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Any clues on the continental kit as to the maker? I believe Packard's source was Huddleston-Whitbone.

Guys, this site has been a lot of help to me, and your replies (hopefully with more to come)are helpful on this issue. I do like the idea of having the cont. kit perpetuated, but was hesitant to do so without some input from you Packard afficionados. Thank you for your expert advice.

You have a very beautiful Packard.
Personally I find it disgusting to put a distance piece and a sparewheel behind the trunk on any car.
But I am quite sure that the wheel will increase the sale value, at least the value will not decrease.
For some reason people seem to like them.

Sweet Pacific! Just wondered if you have an extra leaf in the rear spring to compensate for the extra weight?

The only additional weight of a continental kit is the longer bumper brackets (10#?), the deeper valence pan (5#?), the swing bracket (30#?)and the tire ring/faceplate (12#?). A lot less than a rear seat passenger for which you don't need an additional leaf. A tank of gas weighs 140# by the way.

Yes, with 6 passengers, a trunk full of luggage, a full tank of gas and a continental kit your tail my be dragging....but you'll look so cool. I understand that a raccoon tail on the fender antenna will counteract all that.

I also am not a big fan of the continental kits.
On your car it looks very nice, and the kit used looks better than the factory unit.
It's your car, do as you like. But if it were my car, I'd leave it on.