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

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?

With a very few exceptions for individual or small series vehicles made for the military, ALL car manufacturers were required to cease production of civilian vehicles about February 1942 and turn their efforts to war production.

By law all car sales to the public were suspended in April 1942. Factories stopped making cars and all cars in dealer stock were stored in bonded warehouses and rationed out to essential users.

Numerous Packards were sent to bus makers to be converted into stretch limousines for bus type service, ferrying workers to their factory jobs etc.

If you do a search for Atomic Packard on this site you will find one that was converted by the Fitzjohn Coach company and used at the Los Alamos atomic bomb laboratory.

Ford was permitted to make a few cars for military use during the war. They were probably assembled from available spare parts.