Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Dave - in my earlier post had inadvertently thanked Steve for discussion of the Swedish customs, should have been you. Sorry... and thanks!!!

Steve - excellent synopsis and observations of those years, had forgotten about the many coachbuilders available to EGB. Did LeBaron play a significant role in the development of the '34 Speedster and Sport Phaeton or did they simply build a Packard-created design? Wouldn't be surprised if they had done much more, demonstrating the value that a coachbuilder could offer. As for Dietrich, wonder if there exists any advanced design concepts by him that were done in the '35-40 period for Chrysler... might give a glimpse of how he might have advanced Packard's cause had his paycheck come from them.

"Something happened when the Junior series came to the fore that apparently caused Ed Macauley and his small staff to lay aside any progressive design explorations."

Steve's question is key. Wonder if the incredible success of the One Twenty and later 115 prompted the company to take a breather wrt advanced design projects, perhaps feeling that they had worked in enough of the '34 LeBaron Speedster and Sport Phaeton into the new Juniors to hold them over for years.

Hi Paul

Thanks for the kind remarks. Of the '34 LeBaron designs, I've never read they were specifically credited to one person whether with LeBaron or the Packard staff. Though Count de Sakhnoffsky was consulting for Packard and a major advocate of the full-length, over-the-cowl hood. Ralph Roberts, Roland Stickney and Hugo Pfau at LeBaron may have contributed as well. Just a hunch, but the overall form and general cleanliness suggest that styling cues were picked up from Dietrich's prior work and synthesized into a unified whole.

If any progressive work under Dietrich for Chrysler exist, it's yet to be published. Most of what have was very much just production-type work, frontal restyles, etc. Likely any overall body designwork was done in conjunction with Briggs or Murray in house departments, who ever was to be the source of the body series. In each, the heavy hand of engineering was going to push whatever was the most cost-affective approach to the exclusion of fine style.

Walter P. Chrysler and Ray Dietrich were friends, WPC had to protect Dietrich at times from the tyrants that held sway in the Engineering Department. The minute WPC died, management showed Ray the door. And it's obvious surveying the '30's Chrysler product designs that they essentially stymied and wasted the talents of a great designer.

One wonders why WPC didn't at least set the Custom Imperial aside as Dietrich's exclusive domain, where he could have his best work built. If only to have a halo car that could confirm some degree of prestige on the rest of the very pedestrian Chrysler offerings.

Steve

Great suggestion on letting Ray have his hand with the top-of-line cars. Even if these turned out to be simply a few hand-hammered bodies of unique design, the publicity would have been invaluable and the designs, inspiration for more exciting mass produced cars.

Found this link... points to potential treasure at Hickory Corners. Need to drive out there next year and rummage around.

http://www.imperialclub.com/Articles/Dietrich/ocwarticle.htm