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Thanks for that link, I wasn't aware of it and it surely has some great photos!

HH56, Motor City Packards has a number of former Packard employees in their ranks. A number of them have spoken at various events and many of the events were and will continue to be recorded. PAC sells an hour long interview with Mr. Bill Allison who was an independent engineer and sold the torsion level system to Packard for the 1955-56 models. At Perrysburg several years ago Mr George Green, a former Packard employee spoke to us. Try registering in one of the numerous meets next year, you never know who may be speaking.

Here are a couple more photos. Note the gold color on the NOS hood emblem on Marv Kings' 56. He took the emblem out of the original box many many years ago and installed it on his car. Very few 56 Packards have the hood emblems restored correctly with the gold color top portion.

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Thanks for posting the pictures, Packards1. One thing not yet mentioned or pictured: The Johnny Trudell big band played in the service garage for our listening pleasure. This is the top professional band in the Detroit area, Johnny and some of his men were studio regulars at Motown in the 1960s and they have nbeen the house band at the Fox theatre in Detroit for 20 years, working with George Burns, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Mel Torme', Rosemary Clooney, Andy Williams, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdink, Toni Tennille and many others--these are shows I have seen them play, I "perfume the air with music" in the lobby and auditorium at the Fox before shows.

Mr. Pushbutton is correct, I forgot to mention the band. They were playing some great Glen Miller stuff when I was in there. Attached is a picture of Mr. Pushbutton in his element. looking at a pushbutton shift unit on a 1956 Packard show chassis that was donated to the PPG by Dr. Charles Blackmon.

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Thank you Joel and John for the fine pictures of the open day and providing this insight into the PPG. Like others, I am putting the PPG on my list of "must visit" Packard places.

The hood crests reportedly are not all gold according to the Autumn 1987 Cormorant, number 48.

Hood Crests:

1956 Packards built in 1955 gold on top, chrome on bottom, with a cloissone center.

Commencing January 1956, all chrome with a cloissone center.

Late 1956 were gold on top, chrome on bottom with an anodized red center.

Some of you may be getting tired of hearing me make this pitch for the Proving Grounds, but if they're to be successful in meeting their obligations to Ford, get the other 7 acres, and continue the improvement programs, they need our financial support. Forget the factory, it won't be saved and this is our only chance to save something significant.

From time to time I look at the list of supporters and am suprised not to find the names of some of the people here who profess to be lovers of Packard cars and the company. It's important, and it doesn't have to be a lot of $ to make a difference, even a few bucks helps.

Thanks Guscha,

That's a nice collection of Proving Ground footage excerpted form factory promotional films. I don't think I've ever seen that first one ("Rebound"), but I recognize others from "The Watchdogs" (1954) and "The Safe Road Ahead" (1956). Them V8s sure do look "purdy" zipping around the banked oval!

Kip56 -

Thank you VERY MUCH for clarifying that detail. The notion that all-chrome was less than correct raised an eyebrow with me. All of my '56 cars are all-chrome with cloisonne (including one Pat that was built with the chrome-plated steel grille screen).

I didn't recall the explanation as published in TPC, but knew PAC's V8 form roster asking which of three different types your car had.

Just because something comes out of a box in one particular style doesn't necessarily mean all were that way. Unlike more recent years in the industry, parts back then might have undergone one or more minor revisions with NO change in part number - just a note on the engineering drawing (blueprint).