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I was reading history and I gradually realized many owners of Packard were rather questionable in moral, especially among the social elites or head of state (I don't have to name the obvious few)

But it is really funny when I see how the dictator Rafael Trujillo put a Packard hood ornament on his Chevy




Ironically his assassins were driving a more upscale car than him. An Oldsmobile



I think the Alfred Sloan's social ladder was kind of broken there already!

(Obviously, I think the super narrow 1957-1958 Packard models were a bit difficult to justify buying for someone in his position. But I still find the combination kind of odd, as he didn't buy a more upscale car, not even a DeSoto)

That's a Bugler Swan as sold at one time for very cheap by JC Whitney and other mail order companies. Nothing whatsoever to do with Packard's Cormorant.

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A somewhat unfortunate formulation. On the one hand, it suggests (surely unintentionally) a connection between Packard owners and immoral people. Moreover, industrial products are neither moral nor immoral in themselves. The fact that a dictator once sat on a folding garden chair is no reason to lock up all folding garden chairs.

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And I'd expect Mercedes and to a lesser extent RR whose cars appear to be the dictators cars of choice today would agree. Cadillac seems to have lost out at the prestige end but still manages a few. IMO, Cadillac's styling and size has been less than spectacular for several years so any self respecting despot today would surely figure he could do better. Mercedes and RR are in the business to sell cars so I doubt -- unless it would be a very spectacularly bad publicity move -- either would turn down million dollar orders for a custom car. Packard still had the reputation of being a very dignified and prestigious car during the days when they appeared so often with those infamous passengers. If they were around today and still considered high end, expect they would be willing to make and sell a car too.

Most dictators then and today use their ill gotten gains or direct the state treasuries they control to get the best available but there have also been a few that try to carry off the humble "I'm one of you" approach and have a lower end more pedestrian car at the ready. It could also be that a 57 Chevy was such a very popular car to have and be seen in then. No rhyme or reason but then, just like today, the 57 Chevy seems to be the car half the population wanted to have or remembers - and still wants.

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Howard (HH56), since we are in the general forum, I would like to add another idea.

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I don't recognize that car but with the lettering with the photo of the plane in the background, is it of hand built Russian manufacture and the latest version or successor to the Zil?

Let's call it a kind of successor. The gates of ZIL are closed. Its name is Aurus.

And please excuse me for changing the above photo with the airplane in the background due to quality issues. I didn't realize you had already responded.

It is certainly ambitious and with the Russian plus a Dubai dealership maybe more than a few will be sold. Is it another hand build custom made car as the last of the Zil's were or did they partner with another major auto mfg to share stampings etc?

I think I mentioned seeing a TV program a few years ago where a few of the old Zil craftsmen were going to try and cobble together enough finished pieces to make 2 or 3 more cars using up the last of the major Zil parts still on hand. I think it was a last gasp effort to try and keep the car alive because the Zil factory was going to be torn down or repurposed. The craftsmanship where they started with bare rough sheets, slabs, and bars of metal and by hand hammer forming and welding on pieces wound up with finely finished detail pieces was amazing. Kind of makes you wonder if we still have craftsmen left here who can or would still do that.