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How many Packard trucks are left?

Did they stop building them because they decided to concentrate on automobiles instead?

Or was it due to lack of sales?

Packard competed in the very high end of the truck market with Pierce-Arrow, Locomobile, Jefferey and Peerless among a few others where the market segment was small; the primary reason they left the market was the lack of growth of sales, especially with the end of large government orders during WW I. The market was well-populated with makers and one reason for low sales in addition to the post WW I recession was that, unlike after WW II when surplus trucks were mostly scrapped where they were, after WW I the Army brought back many of the trucks used overseas and donated them to local and state highway departments and the like, thus compounding the problems of a stagnant market. Packard just lost interest in a non-growing market and focused on cars thereafter. Packard trucks were built 1903 thru 1923.

About 45,000 trucks were built and the Kimes-edited book has a chapter on them with many great photos, and which is the source of the numbers and the opinions above. I don't know how many are left, perhaps 50 or so (pure guess); you might check with Dave Lockard of the Packard Truck Association in York, PA. Their annual meet is usually just after Hershey.

There were also a number of Studebaker Transtar-based pickups built in 1957 or 58 for export to Argentina. Something about the South American dealer having a license to import Packards, but not Studebakers. They were basically stock Transtars with a big Packard decal across the front of the hood, and also on the tailgate. Certainly not true Packard trucks by any means, but an interesting historical sidelight. Photos can be pretty easily found on the web.

Quote:

Today I stumbled over a pic of a pick-up, based on the Transtar. I like this FWD.



[picture source: www.olpictures.ru]

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