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Lots to digest here, and great input by all. I will try to get up a list of available engines and some other data that may be helpful in 3P (Prospective Product Planning). And yes, there were some VERY strong personalities involved among the players. No one wanted to see "their" company suffer or disappear in any proposed merger, yet all of them were in varying stages of desperation as they realized they could not survive alone.

This could get interesting.

Slash Studebaker production (as Jim Nance found out, to his regret, they were hemorrhaging $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$).

Kill off Hudson and Nash, build Ramblers.

Come out w/a brand new 1957 Packard (this assumes there would be enough corporate $ to do so...).

Lo and behold, we now have the Big 4 rather than the big 3!

Fyreline - regarding your suggestion to include Kaiser, I didn't see any room for it in an already messy AMC/S-P relationship with too many models but do think there might have been potential to help Packard in lieu of a merger with Studebaker and/or AMC.

Since the Kaiser was designed by Dutch Darrin, who had a strong relationship with Packard pre-war, Packard might have acquired Kaiser's operations and cars (including the Kaiser Darrin sports car) for the purpose of creating a lower cost sub-model called the Packard Darrin. This would replace the "Clipper" model/brand.

The car would have basically been the early-mid 50s Kaiser with a lower, less bulbous greenhouse and conventional looking windshield and would have had a Packard 245 Six underhood until the V8 became available. Such a car might have fulfilled what Nance apparently wanted: a lower cost car to keep his dealers alive during economic downturns, and would have benefitted from a great name, sleek lines and lots of cache. It could have been built at EGB or alternatively Packard could have acquired Willow Run and eventually moved all production there. Unlike Conner Ave there would have been no shortage of space.

Reuther was head of the UAW for many years beginning in the late 30's. As I had mentioned above, and am looking for the sources, Reuther was supposedly one of the very few people who understood how to run the auto industry.

I think he would have closed plants and increased efficiencies if it would have strengthened/benefited the auto industry. I will also look for some things I have put away regarding the lack of long term success/productivity/health of institutions and the conservatism of their board of directors.

Yes, I was somewhat ambivalent about "muddying the waters" by adding Kaiser-Willys into the mix . . . But I must admit that I always liked the chutzpah of the Kaiser organization, and if there was a way they could continue as a viable producer, becoming part of a new AMC may have been it. The addition of the Jeep, the huge Willow Run plant, and Henry J. Kaiser's industry steel connections would have added a couple of wild cards to the hand.

I always liked Henry's quote about his foray into automobile manufacturing: "We were not surprised that we had to toss $50,000,000 into the automotive pool. We WERE surprised when it disappeared without a ripple".

There's an interesting post by JW over on the 1966 Model thread suggesting that the agreement between Studebaker-Packard and Mercedes-Benz to market M-B automobiles in Studebaker-Packard showrooms might have leant itself to badge-engineering the large Mercedes sedans with Packard grilles in order to provide Packard with a quality product to sell. JW even provided an illustration of such a car, which is handsome if a bit dated looking. It raises the issue, once again, of "buying out" a Packard by utilizing an existing car and modifying it to become more "Packardesque".

Probably the most well-known of these schemes involved the French Facel Vega Excellence, a 4-door pillarless hardtop with suicide rear doors and what was referred to as "Gallic Thunderbird" styling, fins and all, on what was (for a European car) a large platform. The story is fairly well known, supposedly S-P officials approached Jean Daninos of Facel about buying Excellence cars without drivetrains, shipping them to Detroit, and fitting them out as new Packards. While I've seen a few different artist's renderings and some internal correspondence concerning the project, Jean Daninos said that no one officially approached him about such a project. I'm sure he would have liked the opportunity to sell even a small number of additional Excellences, so there's little reason to doubt him. Further lore concerning this project states that Mercedes-Benz objected to the scheme, feeling it would provide unwanted competition to it's own 300 sedan in S-P showrooms.

In a similar vien, how about the plan to purchase 1956 Lincoln bodies from the Ford Motor Company and perform a similar "Packardization, on them? Ford was reportedly willing to do so, and I've seen an artist's rendering that was very nice indeed. I always admired the 1956 Lincoln (not so much the tarted-up '57) . . . As a convertible with a Packard grille, cathedral taillights, wire wheels and a spectacular paint combination it could have made a convincing Caribbean.

But would it have been a Packard?

Just re-read Ward's book, pgs 169-173 covering Studebaker manufacturing cost problems in late '54 and throughout '55. A complete mess and Nance even threatened to liquidate early in '55. Prompted me to rethink my proposed timeline. Nance may have needed to bail on Studebaker at first whiff of Studebaker's impossible breakeven number, which he learned of in November/December '54.

Although the alternative would have been badge engineering in its most egregious form, Nance could have asked Romney if AMC would be willing to let S-P sell the '55 Nash Rambler as a Studebaker (which, as we know, is what Hudson dealers got as a replacement for the Jet). Perhaps Studebaker's V8 could have been made an option if the Rambler were able to package and handle the engine's size and weight.

Such a deal, while likely hurting Studebaker dealers because sales would have dropped, would have helped both S-P's and AMC's bottom line tremendously and at a time they both needed it most. The Rambler assembly line would have been humming all through 1955 and Romney would have likely been satisfied that S-P was reciprocating and therefore would likely not have invested money developing its own V8.

To extend this cold-blooded thought process even further, AMC's large car sales were starting to diminish by the end of 1955. Rather than wait for S-P to make AMC a brand new Hudson for '57, AMC might have considered badge-engineering the Clipper for '56 as a Hudson. With it would have again come more cost savings for both companies and needed volume on Packard's assembly line.

I think the bottom line here is that AMC and S-P, whether they merged or simply shared, needed to reduce the collective number of platforms and assembly lines from 4 to 2, needed to do so as quickly as possible and needed to target South Bend and Kenosha's large car lines for closure.

I think the bottom line here is that AMC and S-P, whether they merged or simply shared, needed to reduce the collective number of platforms and assembly lines from 4 to 2, needed to do so as quickly as possible and needed to target South Bend and Kenosha's large car lines for closure.

Absolutely. Depending on how you draw distinctions, and including such non-starters as the Hudson Italia and Nash-Healey, the new AMC would have had about 11 different platforms at the start. Consolidation and a rationalized sharing of platforms were needed, and in a hurry. The actual state of Studebaker's finances has long been a bone of contention, and certainly was a significant piece of the puzzle. In any case, some hard and painful decisions would have needed to be made, and made quickly. I guess that's the nature of business, at least if you want to be successful. A little leadership can go a long way.

A bit more grist for the mill:

Packard:

Engine: 320 CID V-8. 225 - 275 HP
Weight: 3680 - 4275 lbs.
Price: $2926 - 5932


Studebaker:

Engines: L-Head 6: 185 CID, 101 HP
V-8: 259 CID, 140 - 182 HP
Weight: 2800 - 3175 lbs.
Price: $1783 - 3253


Hudson:

Engines: L-Head 6, 202 CID 104 - 120 HP
L-Head 6, 308 CID 160 HP
V-8, 208 HP from Packard
Weight: 3500 - 3800 lbs.
Price: $2290 - 3100


Nash:

Engines: L-Head 6, 195.6 CID. 90 - 100 HP
L-Head 6, 252.6 CID, 120 - 140 HP
V-8 from Packard
Weight: 3000 - 3500 lbs.
Price: $2178 - 2750

Just a few facts and figures to get started with. Now we need to separate the wheat from the chaff, rationalize a much smaller set of platforms, and then decide where we're going to build them.

Caution - Rough Road Ahead!

Hi

By late '54, all four were really under the gun to act quickly to stem further erosion of their market share. A four-way merger would result in too many nameplates and models spreading very limited resources too thin if all were retained. For the make and model structure, some old standbys would have be to dismissed. It was an absolutely necessity for survival that plant and product consolidations take place; would leave considerable casualties and debris in its wake. So, without further ado:

Detroit Operations: Body-on-Frame

Factories:
East Grand Blvd: Packard and Hudson, body production, final assembly on separate lines.
Utica, V-8 engine and Ultramatic production

Packards and Hudsons share body shell (P-H Body), frames with 122" & 127" wheelbases.

Packard: luxury only, P-H body, 127" wb, 352 ci V-8, Patrician, 400 & Caribbean.
Later addition: 133" wb LeBaron Brougham

Hudson: replaces Clipper, mid-range prices, P-H body, 122" wb, 320 ci V-8, Commodore, .

Factories:
Kenosha: Nash Rambler and Studebaker, unibody body production, final assembly
Engine production: Nash 196 ci ohv 6 cyl and Studebaker 259 ci V-8.

Nash Rambler and Studebaker share body shell, (NR-S Body), 108" & 117" wheelbases.

Studebaker: low-priced, NR-S Body, 117" wb, longer hood and deck, sedans & wagons, 259 ci V-8, Commander.
Later addition: 2 dr hardtop and convertible.

Nash Rambler: compact car, 108" wb, 196 ci ohv 6 cyl, initially 4 dr sedans and station wagons only.
Later addition: 2 dr hardtop and convertible.

Factories:
South Bend Chippewa Avenue continues Studebaker Truck assembly.
South Bend Studebaker Foundry continues.

Immediate Plant closings: Main Studebaker South Bend assembly, Hudson Detroit assembly

Five year plan for 1960: All-new, one story body and assembly plant adjacent to Utica for Packards and Hudsons. EGB closed.

Management structure shortly.

Steve