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Perhaps some of it may be just lack of knowledge about Packards period. It's been over 50 years since one came off the assembly line. Maybe they are afraid to show their ignorance.
Ken

Hi

Of the Muscle car and Street Rod cliches I've observed, to paraphrase Auntie Mame "Automotive History is a banquet, and those poor blighters are starving to death!"

Their myopic outlook deprives them of a world of interesting and worthwhile cars that don't qualify as "cool" by their definition. No matter, their attitude contains the seeds of its own punishment.

Enjoy your Clipper, you'll find more who do than don't or worse, won't allow themselves to.

Steve

As someone else said, most cruise nights seem to have a clique. Here locally, if you're not a regular at one of the weekly meets and don't have a Ford or Chevy or not driving something that has one end or the other jumping a foot or so in the air, you are almost invisible. If you're the social type and go over and admire their cars, they might warm up a bit -- but depending on the crowd, they also might not.

I have found that most cruise night participants have very little interest or knowledge when it comes to automobile history. I have coffee with several of these guys and for the most part anytime I mention Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Marmon etc. I get a blank stare. You might as well be talking about 19th century Bel Canto Italian Opera but by and large they are a nice bunch.....just ignorant about automotive history. Maybe I'm the snob?

Another aspect of this to is something I have observed at some of the Packard events. You will get someone that drives by and see a bunch of "old cars" sitting in a parking lot somewhere, and then drives home and pulls their Tri-5 Chevy, Model A, Muscle Car, or misc Street Rod out and drives over thinking it's a cruise night. Only to drive off shortly there after, when they are getting any attention, not realizing that it was a specific "club" event of some kind.

I have never had a problem talking to people at car shows, and actually find the late model car guys easier to deal with. I adjust and talk about their cars. People don't go to a parking lot because they have better things to do. In the CCCA and AACA it takes a little more effort but I am familiar with so many of the cars I can get instant friends by simply asking "would you like a picture of this car when it was owned by so and so?"

Perhaps my worst experience was at a Packard show when I came across a car that was owned by a long time deceased friend. I was there when it came out of long term storage and rode all around in the thing because it ran so good. They couldn't care less. Oh well, not everybody who drives around in old cars has a normal brain.