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Bumming through You Tube today I came across a video from a Canadian man who rebuilds jet engines. He had a Packard built GE J47 turbojet engine that was built in 1953 and it was brand new in the container, never used!!! It was very cool! It had all the inspection tags and marking still attached and the builders plate said "Packard Motor Car Co."
He did a series of videos of them going through the engine and ultimately running it on a test stand. Up to that time the only run time on it was at the Packard facility for testing. These engines were used in the Boeing B-47 bomber and the North American F-86 Sabre Jet. I never even knew that Packard built Jet engines! Just wanted to share, thanks!

If I remember the history as told in Ward's book, the money loss cause by losing the jet engine contract at the hands of Eisenhowers defense secretary wanting to consolidate defense contracts was one of the factors that hastened Packards fall.

-> The Atomic Packard returns

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Follow the link TroyT posted. Packard also produced prototype jet engines of it's own design, under a guaranteed profit contract from the government. When the government decided it did not need so many companies developing jets, the guaranteed profit contracts ended and Packard shut down the project as it had no interest itself in pursuing jets.

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There is a Packard-built J-47 jet engine on display at the Packard museum in Dayton, Ohio.

The one thing that nobody seems to know is that Packard was also preparing to do an automotive gas turbine engine. This would have taken it beyond a new 12-cylinder and beyond fuel injection. Had they remained in business, this engine would have been seen by 1958. Expertise from developing Packard experimental jet engines would have gone into the Packard gas turbine engine.

Another forgotten (or never known fact) is that some former Packard jet personnel went over to join George Huebner's gas turbine team at Chrysler at Packard's demise.