Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Learning more and more about trends of mid-Fifties styling, have attempted to apply to 127 wb car.

- straight through sides for appearance of greater width
- chrome beltline removed
- door handles moved to body
- hardtop style roof

Also lengthened hood to suggest Request-style grill, which might have allowed car to stay viable through 57.

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That is beautiful and 1956 Clipper/Executive was a great design to begin with and you're taken it many steps beyond while maintaining the great lines. My only negative comment is that you're always keen on the lower door handles and my fear is that unless they're somehow flush which was not something done then, they'll stick out too far due to the outward bulge.

I vote to lower the handles even further and put them on the molding defining the color band, so they disappear from the side

Glad you like most of the design and great point about the problem with handles moving to body. Perhaps Packard could have gone with recessed handles like most 57 Chrysler Corp cars did. Reason for moving the handles was to lower the beltline and inch and an half, trying to keep pace with the trend at the time towards taller greenhouses and lower bodies. The 57 Program would have put Packard squarely in the hunt in this respect and I think the handles were to be recessed.

Don't like it.

1..takes away..from the body lines. Your looking at two big blobs. In the door.

2..a painter's nightmare..painting around those handles.

Where Packard had them . the body was clean . your looking at paint..not blobs..

Painting around the handles??
Some serious lack of knowledge here.

Well, I like it, I would have bought it if I was old enough to drive back then.

No. Randy. Experience.

Yes a hack..would paint it. And have over spray all over . then spend time block sanding and buffing.

Another. Hack Packard. It belongs on a GM. Site where other hacks are.

It belongs right here until BigKev says otherwise, as do our etiquette norms.

Yes, there is a clash of two body sections that is not apparent in side view but you guys know the 3D surfacing better than anyone. The radius from body to rear fender crown is tighter than body to front fender crown, the two surfaces intersecting at forward edge of the fender bulge creating a shelf with a slight trough. With straight-through sides this clash would have needed resolved, probably just forward of windshield if rear fenders had been carried over. This is how the 57 Program handled the same issue. Alternatively, if rear fenders were to have been reshaped, the disconnect could have been resolved aft of backlight like on the Panther show car.

Putting the handles on the top part of side trim certainly could have been explored, bringing its own plus & minus to appearance and also a potential customer reach issue for tall folks.

As for the bulges on body, yes that would have been the case, not unlike any car with broad shoulders, 58 and later Lincolns coming to mind. And a bulge at bottom of door had rear fender shape been carried all the way forward. Whether all this would have looked good/bad is a matter of personal preference. I do think that had Packard decided to invest more money in the 55 major refresh to get to straight-through sides, they might as well have widened the front track since they were already tearing everything up underhood and installing new suspension. This would have widened the body in forward half of car and put the body surface on same same plane as rear fender bulge. Without it the body might have bowed out at center of vehicle.

From an appearance perspective my feeling is that first priority was tooling a longer hardtop roof for the 127 sedan, sorely needed by 56. Also helpful would have been shaving 1.5 inches off the sills - Reinhart's high pockets - which would have forced the handles to the body, which would have all but forced reverse opening rear doors else rear handles would stick out and look odd. Also on the list would have been a cleaned up Request grill and straight-through sides. The first two were really needed in 54, imho, at least as a high end offer to help Packard take on Cadillac's best.

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I'm surprised that you replied to that snotty comment. Differences in opinions are good but nastiness is not!