Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I had a Patrician with one side nicely done but the other side was noticeable if the light hit it at the right angle.

Thanks. At least Packard was trying to make it look integrated, as opposed to the 55 Merc, where they just left the seam clearly visible.

...there is a slightly different crown profile on the 55 and slightly different again on the 56 fenders.

Hard to believe that the company would create entirely new dies to achieve a slightly different profile. Maybe the change is the result of die wear or repair work done on them. I have read in multiple sources that, toward the end, Kaiser was refusing dealer orders for cars because they were negotiating to sell the tooling to IKA and didn't want to put more wear on the dies.

I also notice the dagmars on the Merc are also directly under the long eyebrows.

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BH
Still not good at navigating the forum.

Also, as a generalist, I get off on tangents and most of you guys are specific collectors of certain years.

I like the 56 eyebrows because it makes the 56 senior cars look more determined not to let the old make fail. A little angry, a little more focused. Still, the 55 look is pleasant to me as well.

Many pundits consider the 55-56 Packards styling warmed over and not up to the Forward Look Mopars and GM offerings.

I have physically walked around, sat in and otherwise occupied many 55-56 Packards at auctions and at a private seller near me and I love them.

It's all done very nice, but it was obvious that Packard needed a major re-set, which of course never came.

Many pundits consider the 55-56 Packards styling warmed over and not up to the Forward Look Mopars and GM offerings.

The only models that, in my eye, come close to the 56 Packard are the 56 DeSoto and 56 Plymouth. A refresh it may be, but it's an excellent job.

the 56 senior cars look more determined not to let the old make fail. A little angry, a little more focused.

I put the 55-56 down as a swan song, along with the Avanti and Cord 810, where the company pulled out all the stops in one last gasp. Like the Avanti and Cord, produced with great difficulty, suffering mightily from inadequate development, but they stand as a statement of what could have been if management had woken up a few years earlier.

BryanMoran wrote:

Quote:
The forum is but one aspect of this site - albeit an interactive one. Several additional features can be accessed from links under the Main Menu, which appears along the left side of any page, here. However, some posters will include an embedded hyperlink in their text, which appears in blue - as I did with my previous post, to provide you with direct access to specific Model Info listings, by year, for the relevant models. (From that list, simply click on either a model name or the thumbnail to get specific details for that model.)

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That's exactly why, once the basic structure and specifications for the Model Info pages were in place, authentication and further development of the model-specific information was offered up to those willing to document their knowledge and experience with specific years/Series. The Model Info feature is a starting point for newcomers to the marque and a ready reference for the rest of us.

Meanwhile, park a 55 or 56 Packard (or Clipper) next to ANY competing model of same year and I think you'll find the styling and construction compares quite favorably. I grew up in a GM household, but I've seen some real schitty build quality on unrestored) GM product of the competing period.

While the 55-56 models are my favorite Packards, it seems that the facelift (in spite of completely new front end sheet metal) was more of a stopgap measure - intended to buy the company enough time to develop new product on a completley new platform and further develop the V8 and Ultramatic for 57 (or 58).