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Absolutely keep them coming, nice job! Really like the side and rear changes in particular. Also the opera window on the right side, can envision the Packard circle/vee motif on the outside.

No question, the '66 Imperial had one of the nicest post-war interiors. Very angular, clean and modern, almost Scandinavian in design. Also excellent exterior details as was noted.

The rest of the car, based on a platform dating back to 1957, would have faced updated competition and a market slowly moving away from bigness. The proportions were still 50s cab forward, long deck which Ex changed for the '66 Duesy by moving the front axle forward and the backlight/roofline rearward. His car had nice proportions but was monstrous in size, too big for the times? Detroit needed to do a better job keeping an eye on what was happening in Europe.

One thing I can't see is how Chrysler around 1962 would have come to pick up the Packard name and pour money into it when they already had Imperial including the high-priced Ghia limos, and was struggling to fund it and get the design right. It must be acknowledged that although the design has aged well, at the time it appealed to the not so young at heart. In 1966, Lincoln outsold Imperial 4 to 1 and Cadillac outsold it 15 to 1.

Given all these factors, seems to me that AMC had the biggest play here. They definitely needed a marquee name and they definitely had the money available (for a time). Rather than spending it on the Ambassador and Javelin/AMX they could have hired Ex and poached a few others from Detroit and across the pond to get the right people in charge, folks who would lay out clear goals and expectations for the development and design teams and the suppliers.

This is the kind of setup that Packard had needed from the Thirties on - a single company with two distinct product lines, sold under two different names, that dialed in a magic combination of sharing that enabled both to succeed.

While the business model for an AMC/Packard car makes more sense, I still can't get past customer resistance to any Packard based on what was still percieved by many as a Nash, or worse yet, a Rambler. While both of those were fine cars in their own right, they just didn't have the cachet that the Packard name warranted. Granted, some of the prewar Nashes were fine cars indeed and might have been able to carry it off, but let's face it, folks - those days were gone. George Romney had hitched his wagon to the smaller-car star. I absolutely buy the argument that a fine car such as the Packard would have enhanced AMC's market coverage . . . But I can't help but think that they would have trouble selling it.

Chrysler's 1964-66 Imperial didn't look all that bad versus the competition - after all, the overall Lincoln styling theme was very similar, and the Imp looked great compared to the 1964 Cadillacs. It didn't even compare that badly with the restyled 1965-66 Cadillacs. But still, it sold in much smaller numbers.

It would have made one swell-looking Packard, though!

I understand what you are saying. OK, AMC would absolutely have needed to clean their act up with quality and move towards a more premium small car with a much better reputation. And world class styling. All before launching the new Packard or at least in parallel. The thing about these Chrysler and AMC what-ifs is that they both would have required much better leadership. Let's face it, both companies sailed off the cliff or nearly so within two decades so its probably not unreasonable to assume that both would have botched Packard royally.

Well, gentlefolk...this sure is a lot of fun! Appreciate the comments relative to my "quickie" makover on the Imperial body. Now, as suggested, I'll see what I can come up with for the front end.

Here, by request, is my concept for the front end of the "1966 Packard" based on the 1966 Imperial. There is little sheet metal alteration here, mainly just the reshaping of the front prow to resemble the silhouette of the 1956 Packard headlight prow. The parking lights have been extended around the front prow, and the existing Imperial parking lights have become fog lights. Note that the outside ends of the lenses terminate in a point just as the 56 Packard lenses. The hood ornament is a Packard "vee" and crest. The die-cast Imperial grille has been retained but is augmented by the Packard "cusp" at either side of the headlight nacelles.

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Here are pictures that I have of a 7282 (1972 Patrician) scale model along with some drawings of a hearse version.

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Esquireman... nice job giving the front an aura of Packard. Corner prow in particular is really cool, very distinctive.

PackardSW... wow, what in the world are those? Please provide background for the unaware. Looks to have been inspired by Ex's '66 Duesy. Was there a plan to bring Packard back or was this simply a modeler's fancy?

Since we are in the spirit here are a few more mods working off the earlier AMC-based/Ex-inspired coupe. The sedan sits on an 8 inch extended wheelbase versus the coupe, bumping it up to 130 inches. For the convertible the 122 inch coupe wheelbase is shortened by 4 inches for a more sporty appearance. Haven't worked up a limo yet but since Stageway made them for the Ambassador in 1969, such a car presumably could have developed as a Packard.

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Limo idea with 18 inches added to the sedan for new wheelbase of 148 inches. Hard to see is circle/vee motif on side window. Made pillars around this window thicker to allow for division window behind front seat. Am lukewarm about this car.

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One take on an 8-pass wagon on 130 inch sedan wheelbase with rear facing third seat. Unlike the sedan went with conventionally hinged rear doors. The massive faceted rear might not have worked aesthetically.

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I took a few crude Photoshop liberties with PSW's very nice Patrician model . . . . a little less chin, a little more butt, and a little more discreet rear wheel opening. I think this design might have had some real possibilities!

<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/fyreline/?action=view?t=Packard_31-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/fyreline/Packard_31-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>