Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

A friend once told me that Packard - after demand for it's 1956 Caribbean hardtop out-runned supplies - encouraged dealers to sell Four Hundreds with the Caribbean options, like the dual carbs, wire wheels, dual antennas and even the Caribbean hood could be ordered. Is this correct?

I ask, because I have my 1956 Four Hundred with a Caribbean Hood. I got it as such, and the past owner who had it since the early 70's also says it already had the Caribbean hood when he got it. My car also has the wire wheels and the dual carb, but that is about the interesting options. No pushbutton transmission, dual antennas or air conditioner.

If having this hood was a possibility, then I would like to keep it, as I think it looks fabulous, but if not, I already have a regular Four Hundred hood which I got recently out of a parts car, just before it was sadly scrapped, and might change it for the Caribbean hood it currently has...

So, is my friend's theory correct and you could have ordered the Caribbean hood?

Thanks!
Victor

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The dual 4-bbl carburetors were not an option on any model; they were standard on the Caribbean and not (as far as we know) available as an option on any others. So I doubt your car left the factory with them but the parts for the dual 4-bbl setup were available thru the parts dept. for any dealer who might have a customer anxious to have them installed.

The wire spoke wheels were not specific to the Caribbean and were available across the board as an option.

As to the hood, I only guess that it was not on the car as it left the factory. There were a few dealers who "Caribbeanized" 400s such as the DuBois Motors dealership in MD who re-branded the cars as Esquires. Whether any of those were so-built at the factory (doubtful) or converted at the dealership (more probable) is not known to me.

PS DuBois confirmed in later interviews that he did the conversions at his dealership.

This is fascinating. Your car may be on its way to being an Esquire like mine! You can check out some of the Cormorant stories by our George Hamlin on the Esquire variants, but briefly, president Jim Nance encouraged Packard "Distributers" (Packard's spelling, not mine) to order/build Caribbean look-alikes when Caribbean stocks were insufficient to meet local customer demand.

Harry DuBois was the Distributer for the Capitol region of Virginia and Maryland, and he ordered (perhaps two dozen, maybe less) Four Hundred hardtops and a few Patrician sedans that were outfitted to resemble Caribbeans on the outside. Most had the 1956 twin scoop hood and side and tail paint and trim. As far as I know, all had interiors befitting something less than a real Caribbean. I have never heard of an Esquire with the 310 horsepower dual carb engine, but as others have pointed out, Packard would bend over backwards if a customer wanted to pay for something extra that they made. That might have been extra true in the last months of 1956 production.

Hamlin's Cormorant article on Esquires shows a picture of one without the dual scoop hood and with the Four Hundred hood ornament, so that may also apply to some. My car's previous owner's father knew Mr. DuBois personally and worked for him, making the point that a few Patrician sedans were decked out with Caribbean trim. One of the Esquire sedans in Virginia was owned by a woman physician who remained a loyal service customer of his for years after Packard ceased Detroit production.

Please reconsider any thoughts of swapping that dual scoop hood. It may have been delivered, if not built, that way. By the way, my Esquire's door jamb vehicle number plate is blank where the paint and trim codes usually are. That might also mean something, or not.

I suspect you're looking for printed material that Packard HQ sent to its dealers. That aside, a dealer could have done anything you wanted "at the dealership." He may not have been able to order it from the factory the way you wanted, but, just as today, once at the dealer you can order any parts you want and have them installed.
Personally, I would keep the Caribbean hood on the car. I would only replace with the 400 hood if I was certain that I would lose points (if, for some reason, that ever would be of concern to me).
Nice car. The 400s are among my favorite postwar Packard, and 400s decked out like Caribbeans are even better.

On a closer look, is your aluminum side trim (aka "Reynolds Wrap") dark, painted, or just a dark color of body paint? From the pictures, it's hard for me to tell. My Esquire and Caribbeans are painted, without the aluminum trim behind the front wheels and down the side. The Caribbean side trim includes the upsweep of middle color paint near the tail lights, with corresponding stainless border trim. My Esquire is also made that way. While that might not seem so unusual on either a convertible or hardtop, seeing a Patrician sedan with that treatment would be unique. Dual rear antennas are also present on mine, a la the real Caribbeans.

I'm just happy to have a 290 horsepower V-8 that runs reasonably well. Having the dual carbs, the air cleaners under that beautiful hood of yours means that you're ahead of me in Packard Points.

Now if you had the build sheet, that might give some details, or maybe not.

It looks like a nice car no matter what. I wouldn't want to deal with the hassle of changing the hood and matching paint.

What number is this car?

Gorgeous car - don't change a thing!

BTW, we have the same argument about once a month over on the Studebaker Driver's Club /or '56J sites. Someone will come along with 1956 Golden Hawk with 2x4s or a 374" with 2x4s and claim it was a factory special order.

Fortunately, S-P factory build sheets are available and there's never been any evidence any were factory built and delivered.

The conversions were done by the dealers or the owners with factory parts department parts.

jack vines

Thank you all for the kind comments. It is a nice and mostly original car and as suggested, I will keep the Caribbean hood, as I really prefer the looks with it. I have to admit that since I am a purist I was considering to change it, but I am glad you all seem to approve to leave it as is. I rarely show the cars (but I use them when I can) and even if I did, there are no real Packard experts or even more than a handful of Packards here in Mexico.

I want to get proper tires (current ones seem small) and I need to change suspension bushings. Other than that, it will remain as is... Including it's Chrysler transmission, while I can find and save enough to get it's original transmission repaired.

As for the questions:

I will check on it's number tomorrow and report back.

The trim on the side is ribbed, with the higher parts in plain stainless and the indented ones in black.

I never knew the build sheets were available. How can I get one for my Packards?

Thanks,
Victor

Hi Victor

Lovely 400! Don't change a thing on it! Even if the Caribbean hood was a dealer or later addition, it's the type of thing folks did then to personalize their cars.

Just a personal curiosity, did you perchance purchase your 400 from a gentleman in the Boston area?

Steve

I bought the car in Puebla, Mexico (the city where Packard had a plant down here) but I don't know it's history. Speedometer is in miles, therefore it is a car that was sold originally in the US, but it has been down here for along time. The previous owner had it since the 70's.

I offered to look for it's numbers: 5687-3661

So, is it possible to look for a build sheet? Is there really such information? I always thought Packard records were destroyed.

Thanks!
victor

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