Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I don't own one (although I wish I did) and I am not including the sedans or club sedans because the Clipper series had both.They did not make a Clipper convertible so the Custom Eight is the nearest thing to one.They are truly magnificent machines and I believe they deserve classic status.Ant thoughts?NOTE: not a member of the CCCA either.

Interesting question & certainly a fine car by Packard or any other car of the era standard. Haven't looked at a list in years but does CCCA recognize anything postwar that was not based on or was not a continuation of total pre war designs? Maybe very low production or specialty cars but anything mainstream? I believe the 46-7 Packards are recognized because they were essentially prewar.

Don't think the 22-3 series would classify as any of the above because it was different enough from pre war and the differences from the "lesser" models were mainly in appointments vs standout design. It certainly wouldn't fit as a popular car.

There used to be a Milestone Society and I believe all (or at least the majority) postwar Packards were recognized there.

HH56;

You wrote "It certainly wouldn't fit as a popular car."

I'm wondering on what criteria do you base this statement.
The 22nd series outsold all other Packard series except the 1937. They also outsold Cadillac through 1949.

What makes a car popular or unpopular? I'm not trying to be confrontational or negative. I have heard this kind of statement for years and simply do not understand.

OK, I know I am biased since I own three currently and have owned several others. I think they are great cars and they are excellent drivers. I personally like their styling and believe the design was a reflection of the times, especially as the design won awards in 1948 for its styling.

I have no figures to disprove or prove & based it strictly on what I remember growing up. I don't doubt your information & they may have been popular on the East coast and maybe some western cities, and that's probably where they sold--but in the wide open SW, from what I remember from many many many miles of my brother & I sitting in the back seat and out of boredom observing & counting cars between towns, the number of Cadillacs and Lincolns and even a few Imperials on the road made it seem like 22-23 Packards were all but non existent throughout the early 50s.

The small NM town I grew up in, as did many others of similar size had dealers for GM, Ford & Chrys that could sell full line but closest Packard was 150 mile drive and I suspect the same for lots of places. My dad drove a 47, then traded on a new 51 & then got a used 51 also. For upper end cars, aside from his 51's, there was one 23rd series standard in town but numerous Cads, & a few Lincolns & Chryslers.

The 22-23rd series Customs are beautiful cars but are not included in the CCCA list of "Full Classics" I assume because they are not a continuation of a pre war car as are the 46-47 Super Eights and Customs. My recollection dating back to the early 50's grwoing up in Windsor Ontario across the river from Detroit is that Packards in general and 22-23rd series Customs were not commonly seen. Chryslers and Cadillacs were more common.

I suspect that the difference in perception of popularity may've had something to do with dealer location and availability. We had a relatively strong dealership in my area of far west Texas and Packards were fairly well represented numerically on the roads, there. New ones became scarce after about 1953-54 but the 22nd and 23rd Series cars were fairly plentiful up through the mid to late 1960s and were still regularly being driven by little old grey-haired people and poor high-school students.

I've owned both a 22nd and 23rd series Custom 8 sedan, the former for over 20 years (both now sold off). They are truly one fine car, the closest Packard ever came postwar to the quality and class of the best of the prewar cars. One reason you don't see them often is that they only comprised about 3% of Packard's production between 1948 and 1950. I don't know which is rarer today, the 7-passenger models or the club sedan, rare to sight either one.

I fully understand why the Custom Eight sedans were not considered ie. there is no pre war carry over.Packard, however, failed to make a pre war or post war Clipper Convertible.The post war Custom Eight Victoria is the closest thing to a pre war 160 Convertible and possibly a better built car.Why can't the CCCA expand there horizons a little?

I find it interesting that the CCCA accepts the 2103 Super Clipper as a Full Classic and the Milestone Car Society accepts the 22nd and 23rd Customs and 2106 Custom Super Clipper but excludes the 2103 Super Clipper. Have you contacted the CCCA and asked how to apply to have the 1948 Custom convertible added?

No.As I said, I am not a member of the CCCA and I don't have a Custom Eight Victoria.But here is another interesting point.CCCA, as you pointed out, does recognize the 46-47 Super Clipper as a full classic yet the AACA does not.I thought they always used the CCCA definition of Classic.