Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Couple ideas on nice looking '56. The car already had side trim similar to '55. First idea shows what formal roof would look like. Second shows a vertical chrome trim piece attached to front door window frame to cover the B-pillar when door is closed, to visually balance the width of front and rear window frames. Beltline trim altered in similar fashion.

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This formal sedan design would have been a fine addition to the Patricians, an alternative choice for those in the Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special segment. Beginning in 1957, the LeBaron became the premium Imperial four door models at a nine percent price increase over the comparable Crown. There was little visual distinction until 1960 when the formal backlight such as this arrived.

Even so, loading a model with convenience options as standard and a finer interior found a receptive audience, which was also available to Packard. As important as the Caribbeans were, the place for a premium formal sedan shouldn't have been overlooked. They need not have turned to Derham to do the custom work with Ionia readily available.

Steve

I think you're onto something with disguising the b-pillar, which I think is the weakest line on this car. What about bright wrap of the door frames too so there is no painted vertical?

I love the overall look of the formal roofline but I don't car for the vertical trim between the doors as it catches and stops the eye and the sudden vertical "ledge". Doing that somewhat negates the flowing appearance.

You identified it, Steve. There was still a market for Packard formality. Ionia the perfect source unless Conner was possible. At that point Packard ran the plant so could do whatever it wanted.

I had run out several work-ups before settling on the one shown. Here are a few others that speak to your preferences.

First addresses Don's concerns. Still has the faux B-pillar but now painted same as rest of car. Second shows possibilities with two-toning.

Third and fourth are bkazmer's suggestion for chrome on all vertical frame surfaces, which I took to mean all window frames. I concluded that it looked too chrome heavy, but these are just rough work-ups. Might look much better on an actual car.

Fifth is similar to original image but on an Executive, or rather my dream Executive. It sits on a 127 chassis with a 5 inch extended panel between hood and windshield.

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Don, here's the car with just the formal roof. No change to B-pillar.

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Here's a feel for how the B-pillar applique would look from inside. Not that different from the door frame reveal at upper forward corner.

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Much, much better to my eye and tastes! Because of the full-length side band and hooded headlights of the 1956, the visual length was enhanced, making them look longer and lower while the partially truncated 1955-style trim also cuts down on the overall visual appearance.

Given that the '56 Caribbean had a padded roof, the seams for the C pillar modification on the formal sedan could easily have been buried under Hypalon. This could have also covered a panel for a more private smaller rear backlight. If the budget permitted, this would be the car for the Request grille!

M63, solve that nasty B-pillar for good - show us the four door hardtop

That gets into Packard's ability to invest in those years, because the 1-1/2 inch body insert between front and rear doors didn't permit a 4-door hardtop. One solution was to reverse-hinge the rear doors and add length to them to cover the insert, that's the mock-up Creative did, which also included removal of beltline/putting handles on the body sides. The roof was from the Four Hundred, which meant 5 inches less rear legroom than Patrician. From what I've been able to deduce, the '56 Sedan DeVille had a unique roof that was longer the CdV but shorter than 62, so rear legroom probably fell in between too.

I think Packard had to wait for all-new body to do a hardtop sedan. In meantime they could have added 5 inches length to the Four Hundred roof, created new window frames and offered a car with hardtop-like style but with a fixed B-pillar.

Since they would have been doing new window frames anyway, for a few dollars more they could have removed the beltline and put the handles on the doors. Almost every clay model leading up to the '51s had handles on doors, it was only near end of design phase that Engineering forced the high pockets. And to really spice things up they could have used Four Hundred's end panel between decklid and backlight, which would have added 5 inches of rear overhang. That would have made for a car that could fairly well run against SdV and Lincoln.

Really what they needed was an all-new body for '56, which means the '55s should have been warmed over '54s except for the V8 and Twin-Ultramatic. A 127 wb hardtop sedan with fixed B-pillar could have been readied by Spring '53 just when Packard needed the sales injection, had Nance seen the opportunity. That model would have been very helpful for 54 and 55.

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