Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I'm a little disturbed by some of the comments in this thread in regards to the new purchaser of this car.

Nobody bought the car advertised for $1500, even after lowering the price to $500 dollars, nobody in the Packard community would step up and buy it for "posterity"?

Yet some here crap on this guy for buying it for $500 and asking $3500?

He's allowed someone here to take detailed photographs in order to document this first production car. He saved it from some scrapper or someone chopping the ass off of it and making it into a couch.

Why shouldn't this guy try to make 600% profit? He's done all the work of buying it, dragging it home, storing it for who knows how long.

If he is a "car flipper", a '55 Packard 4 door isn't the wisest car to invest in if you want to be a successful one. The asking price is clearly reflected in the fact that is the first '55 Patrician made. If it were #1001 '55 Four Hundred I imagine the price would be $7500. I'd bet if this were #1001 '55 Caribbean Convertible people wouldn't bat at eye at the price being quite higher.

This new purchaser saved this car from a certain death, and even if he did little more than add a few more years to its life and it does rot into the ground, it was more than any of you did for this car at $500.

Brian,

Yes.

Look at this 55 Patrician for help
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4312128593.html
This is an early car too. It has a painted housing around the steering column.

Did you notice the horn button?

Look at the dealer album that shows the 55 upholstery. I don't see one that matches this one. Look in the trunk, see the heater blower with the shroud, another early production item.

Portlandon,
I agree with what your saying to a point. He can ask anything he wants. As has been said many times on this site. It's his car, he can do anything he wants with it.

Is a 55 Patrician in this condition worth his asking price? To someone maybe. If he would keep it stored inside like the last owner, then the historical "value" might be saved, until someone wants to spend their money on it.

You can buy this one, and enjoy it now.
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4312128593.html

That's why his price does not make sense, especially in this economy.

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Absolutely not. If this were '55 Patrician #3036 in this condition, it would be either a parts car for a Four Hundred/Caribbean or $500-$700 dollar car.

This cars worth/asking price is for the future owners bragging rights to owning "The First '55 Packard/Packard V8 Production Car made".

Cars are worth more for any number of strange reasons. Some cars are worth more because they are one of only 3 with rally stripes and bucket seats without a console & column shift with a straight 6.

But to own the first production model of any year certainly ads more to the value amongst any car marque collector.

It certainly ads more than $3,000 to the final restored price at auction, I guarantee.

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I believe we've been presented with a few other examples of 55 Seniors, here in these forums, where the fresh air and heater control housing was painted to match the instrument panel, rather than chrome-plated.

Though I haven't seen it in over decade, I seem to recall that the same part on the one 55 Patrician (#2833) that I once owned was plated, not painted. Yet, I'm sure the (long) column grommet matched the instrument panel color - green - completely diffrent affair than what was used on my 56s.

However, the only distinction that the parts book makes is between Junior (and Exec) and Senior - not between years.

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Not sure what you mean. I can't make anything out in that one pic for all the glare, dirt, and crazing.

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The cloth in #1001 has the same pattern as what was used for Trim Set 60 - Dark Blue Cloth and Light Blue Genuine Leather. See the material sample (that member 56executive provided) for .463583. However, I'm not sufficiently familiar with that particular trim set to tell you what parts should be what colors. With no provision for the paint and trim codes on the 54 style VN plate, the only thing that might tell us anything about the trim set would be the build strip, if still intact, on top of the glove box.

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Again, not sure what you mean - never paid much attention to that part on my cars. From what little I can see of it, it looks like the one shown in Fig. 6 of the 'Fenders and Sheet Metal' section of the FSM.

After all of this, I'm wondering if this car might have been a special build - perhaps for the show circuit. Yet, without doucmentation, that's just worthless speculation.

Meanwhile, don't forget that any number of things could have been done to this car over the course of the 13 years of registered use, after the car left the factory - like the conversion to propane.

we are all entitled to an opinion, I treat and think of dealers trying to make a quick buck different than a hobbyist, You mentioned that the guy wanting $3,500 for this car (after paying only 500 or LESS) saved it. Well actually he may have just ruined it, now it will continue to sit outside and rot due to no one will pay $3,500 for a $1,000 disassembled car now and now it is EVEN LESS likely it will be restored. If you hire a professional restoration company to restore this car you will end up having somewhere near $100,000 in it and it's worth $25,000 tops. If you do a lot of the work yourself you will have $25,000 in it and it's worth $17,000 to $20,000 tops. A labor of love is great but it's a loser from the start other than a parts car or a conversation piece. The guy trying to make the quick $3,000 quick profit flip is doing this car no favors.... being car #1 is only adding 10 to 20% to its value. It will be worth more if it can be proven it is the first Packard V8 made or the 25,000 mile test car but I see zero proof of this. 1954 Patrician #1 sold in the last three years and it brought NOTHING more than a regular car. The last 56 Caribbean made has sold for a premium when sold. Why? because it's the LAST Packard Convertible ever made, that is MAJOR LEAGUE cool. I applaud the gentleman who has taken all these superb photos of this first 55 Patrician, he has made a record of this car that will last FOREVER!

Yes, the later seniors has chrome housings. When did it change, I don't know that we will ever know.

Look at the horn button on #1, and compare it to the CL one. The CL one has a lighter background, silver?, and #1 has a dark background.

I looked at thishttps://www.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/1955_2_Upholstery.pdf

And it looks bluer than what's in the car, but that could due to the sun. However the seats are white, and the sample has blue leather.
https://www.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/partslist5556/TOC.pdf

The early cars I have seen, the blower behind the grill had a scoop. The later ones did not have it.

I think the new owner has at least $1,000 in the car, probably more. Figure in purchase price, removal, transportation, and overhead. If you are really interested in saving the car make him an offer. $3,500 is his ASKING price.

(o{}o)

I for one, just saw it, a lot of things i miss cause i am not on it much, ,

PAC , or P I,,, or the packard museum should contact him, and make a deal,

or if people are interested to take up a collection, thru kev's site, 25.00 bucks ,,and up donations,

the reason why no one bought it (except the dealer) is that no one WANTED or NEEDED a 55 Patrician parts car located in Austin, TX

this heap for $3,500 is gonna be a hard sell for anyone.... please note the new owner is a dealer, they probably have no desire to do anything with this car but to make a buck, if they love their cars so much why are they all for sale??? hmmmmm, this is a HOBBY and restoring number uno V8 Patrician should be an applauded and admired labor of LOVE, too many folks are watching Pawn Stars, American Pickers, and those other live action reality shows and making this hobby strictly just a for-profit business now.... profit, flip, profit, flip, profit, Profit is ok, but wanting $3,500 for a $500 to $1000 car is just a medium for this car to rot in his field.... I bet he sadly ends up parting it out due to profit and not the love to save it is his motive

this dealer may be the nicest and greatest guy in Texas but I find it interesting that some folks are applauding him for buying and saving it when he simply says he wants to flip it

speaking of donate, If you want to donate to the new owner's cause you can buy one of his $16.00 hats shown at:
http://www.oldcardisease.com/index.htm

I'd rather buy a nice 10.00 hat that demonstrates my love for Packard's and not the dealer and use the extra 6 bucks for a 5 guys cheeseburger

let's just face the facts, this is now just a sedan parts car, that's why it did not sell at $500.00 but finally to a dealer (who probably even paid less than the $500), however it is a darn neat parts car due to it being number one

if you love the 55's, you are far better off paying $15,000 for a 55 Caribbean in the same shape, you'll have an order of magnitude better return on your investment and in many ways a convertible can cost less to restore.....

regarding donating to the Packard museum, I went to the Packard museum last year in Warren, Ohio. The workers there were not particularly friendly and knew little to nothing about Packards. I politely asked if I could climb over the ropes and take a quick picture of the dash on the Pan American (one of my lifetime dream cars I mentioned) in their escorted presence and was told firmly that this was not allowed, it might have taken time away from both their numerous personal phone calls they were making and receiving at the time....
I wonder if they are volunteers or paid? I will not be back or making a donation that they mailed me two cards on afterwards