Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

While they both are lovely to look at, they both have their issues regarding authenticity, but the black one has far more.

Thanks to Stuart Blond for bringing this piece of Packard literature to my attention - I think this answers the question neatly and pretty much confirms my prior speculation that the glove box plaque was managed thru the purchaser & dealership.

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Neat piece. It amazes me the amount of literature that is still out there in the wild.

And they weren't built just for men.

I believe this is from Caribbean hardtop #5697-1019, Paint MKN, Trim 296

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Thats a "Grey-Poupon" set name if I ever heard one.

OD & Stuart,

Thanks for the information! I started looking for the article, mentioned early, and had not found it yet!

The lucky 56 owners with these plates would know which dealer location (the build sheets) and original owner name. Then if they could locate any relatives, they might get REAL lucky and get some photos of when it was new.

I had looked for years to find the one 56 Convertible sold in Dallas. Finally found it on E-bay last year! It went from Dallas to San Antonio, to Tulsa to San Francisco, and was told it is now up in Oregon!

I tried hard to get that one to come home, but no such luck!

Now IF anyone has information on Packard Atlanta or the dealer in Elizabethtown Kentucky, Pickerill I could maybe find out more about my 55's.

Though I have no early pictures of them prior to my own ownership, I'm just unbelieveably fortunate to have bought both my Packards (34 Eight and 56 Carib conv) from the original owners. I first became aware of the Carib in the early 60s thru the local PAC region as the owner hosted the annual picnics which I usually attended. But the earliest photo I have of it is in The Packard Cormorant publication when it was at the Colorado Springs annual meet, 1966 I believe.

I think I pointed this out earlier, but the first owner of my Carib was so infuriated at the purchase of Studebaker that he had a replacement plaque produced that identified the maker as The Packard Motor Car Company rather than Studebaker-Packard Corporation. Nice little piece of trivia - I did find the original plaque in the bottom of the spare tire well.

OD,

Now that is a funny story, about the tag.

I assume that this promotion started when the 56 Caribbeans were introduced, since the glove box for 5697-1019 had a tag. I thought maybe some of the earlier ones didn't get them.

Roscoe, which dealer sold this car 5697-1019?

Don't have any early pictures of mine but do know some funny history.

It was bought by the parents of a (years later) SF TV personality and driven in San Francisco. One of the stories related by the son to the person I bought the car from was his mother driving the car, not curbing the wheels when going to a particular place and then usually the electric shift couldn't bring it out of park due to the incline. Apparently happened frequently and then once too often because that time the tow truck couldn't get access to pull and release pressure. Said his father told the driver once he got it free to take it away and just got rid of the car.

The guy that then bought it lived on level land, drove it almost daily to his job at SF airport. The late Steve Williams knew the guy and told stories of this person almost never getting it over 45 mph. There was a very busy 2 lane stretch of road on the commute and Steve said he generally had a long stretch of cars behind him because of few areas to pass. Once a car passed, said the guy was saluted very rudely more than once. After many years owning it, he finally sold the car. A friend of mine bought it but things happened and he couldn't keep it so I got it instead.

Good story! Isn't it great having these little bits of a car's past history?

I'm probably overcautious but I almost NEVER use the Park pushbutton. And if I do, forward-facing on a downgrade, I set the parking brake firmly first. If facing rearwards on a downgrade I set the parking brake and use a wheel chock before I engage P. I've got friends that use it routinely even on steep grades without any problems, but I'm reluctant to push my luck.