Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I'm curious about opinions, comments or favorites of the '55-'56 Packard and Clipper hood ornaments. All I have read about their origins are some comments about how far removed from the "Cormorant" the '55 and '56 senior ornaments were, and the tussle about whether the cormorant was "really" a Pelican and should be referred to as such.

For the longest time I thought the ornament on our '55 400 was a jet plane! But up close, you could still see the bird and it did have a little "pouch" under the head.

I can't remember what the '56 senior ornament is like up close, but I think the '55 is a little cleaner design and more in keeping with the bird motif. Wonder why they changed in '56?

As for the Clipper, I believe the design was the same in '55 and '56, but not sure if they made some changes. I think that the V8 Clipper winged planet or whatever you want to call it is one of the best of the big hood ornaments ever. It is just a fine, uncluttered design--but what's it supposed to represent? Some of the kids in my neighborhood ( my contemporaries at the time) thought it would be a great design for a spaceship. I would think it is supposed to be something a bit more "nautical" than that.

You could (and somebody probably already did) write a book about the earlier Packard ornaments, but how about some comparisons of the unique '55 and '56 Packard and Clipper ones?

the 56 senior ornament is a long birdlike shape. IMO, it is much more graceful than the 55, but each to his own. i always kinda thought the 55 design was bulky.

<a href="http://s252.photobucket.com/albums/hh35/cumminsfan/?action=view¤t=DSCF8788.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh35/cumminsfan/DSCF8788.jpg" border="0" alt="56 packard patrician"></a>

the only pic i have of it.

I agree, the 56 Packard "bird" seems much more graceful and impressive than the 55. Also the 55 ornament pointed down (somewhat like the early 50's Imperials)in the front while the 56 was level. IMHO the level one looked better. I have always thought that the 56 hood ornament was as beautiful as any ever made.

For what it's worth, I liked the 1955 ornament better because it still tried to resemble an actual bird, with definable eyes, beak and wings. Unfortunately, it can't be determined if it is truly a pelican derived from the Packard family crest or a Kirtland double-breasted ruby throated warbler. Or, a sparrow.

I do like the extended lines of the 1956 ornament, as they give more of a feeling of speed and modern elegance to the car, but it might just as well have been one of Gene Roddenberry's prototypes for the USS Enterprise. There's really nothing to the ornament's shape that suggests a living, flying bird. A ninja attack weapon or gigantic pickle fork, maybe, but a bird, not so much.

My thinking is they are both a extension of the V used to connect with the V8 and the V on the grill. The larger stream line look was a sign of the times if you look at the Cadillac the 56 was longer than the 55. The basic styling theme was lower and longer and accent the ideas like the longer peaks on front fenders Also more chrome was the in thing and longer more chrome were the way all cars were headed .

The Clipper hood ornament is basically the same in 1955 and 1956. the only real discernable difference is a chrome strip that runs under the '55 ornament along the top of the hood. This chrome strip was eliminated in 1956. I've never heard of the Clipper ornament having a name. To me it looks like a planet with something in orbit around it.

Quote:

Thanks for the extra detail on the chrome strip. I agree on the planet thing. I can't imagine why it was never given even an unofficial name, or why it's seldom commented upon. You might even think "satellite" if it hadn't been introduced two years before Sputnik! But, the "Planet Ornament" sound pretty good. Or "The Orbit."

As for the '55 "bird" I don't remember seeing any eyes on it. They did make an attempt at giving it a pouch-like curve under the sculpted head. One thing about it, though, the wing tips were really sharp. Not only in terms of looks, but physically, hand-gougingly sharp!

I may appreciate the '56 senior version a little more if I "lived with" one for a while. It's hard to really get a good look from photos of what basically is a piece of sculpture.

The move to a simple badge on the Caribbean was a great idea. A hood ornament would have looked pretty strange between those racy scoops.

Well I never cared for either of the "space aged goose" ornaments(55 or 56). After working on my wifes 51 patrician and gathering parts for it I would up with an extra excellent hood ornament and when the 51 departed I put the 51 on the hood. Of course I caught a bunch of flak for that but when the need arises I can change in 10 minutes.

I vaguely remember having read somewhere that the 55/56 Clipper hood ornament should have been a VERY stylized variant of the "Goddess of Speed" theme (the "doughnut pusher")...

You know, that makes sense, and is just the kind of thing that you could imagine a designer doing to stay with at least some kind of continuity in a design that really couldn't be incorporated in a "modern" hood ornament. Thanks for the additional info. Nice looking '56, BTW. It doesn't have a Caribbean hood, but it looks like there's a coat-of-arms medallion ornament on it, or are my eyes deceiving me.