Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Steve - perhaps another reason the '55-56 Imperial was so expensive was that the planners conservatively assumed Imperial's traditional low sales, conceding that the Imperial name, no matter how good the car, would be incapable of generating sales approaching Cadillac. Had the standard and lwb Imperials really taken off in these years we may well have seen a lwb '57 made in-house and priced closer to Cadillac, rather than a super-expensive, super low-volume limo sourced from Ghia.

Speaking of which, one wonders what Cadillac thought of that ultra-expensive '57 Ghia Imperial lwb being priced near its new Eldorado Brougham and even exceeding it the following year (the nerve!). We know the Eldo B was a big money loser and Cadillac probably turned to Italy in '59 for the same reason, but only to make its odd-ball flagship for two more years. Caddy limos continued to be made in-house.

Which brings us back to Packard. Realistically it was the only name that could have run with Cadillac in this segment in these years, Lincoln floundering with smaller, non-descript, near-luxury cars. When Nance arrived he had lots of options. Caddy's all-new 1950 limo initially had its roof welded together in sections using standard sedan roof and insert. Only later, maybe in '51 or '52, did the roof come from one dedicated stamping. This suggests that Packard could have done the same, not only with roofs but doors too, using a combo of stock stampings and inserts. It apparently didn't make financial sense for deep-pocketed Cadillac but would have been the perfect solution for small Packard. To do so, Nance would have needed to gain control of Conner as soon as possible so that he could set up off-line operations next to the line. With all, he could have started making waves in the market with interesting new models as early as 1953. There was plenty of room in the plant and had Nance done this, final assembly probably would have stayed at EGB in the succeeding years.

Hi

I found this photo taken of the Pike's Peak Summit House parking lot circa 1959-1960 on The Old Motor site. Sightseeing tour operators kept fleets of used Cadillac 75 seven passenger sedans and limousines to ferry customers touring the mountain. The red and white '59 Cadillac in the background was one of the custom Skyview Sightseers by Superior operated by the Broadmoor Hotel

Were we to find a photo taken 5-7 years earlier, bets we would see many used '48-'50 Super Eight lwb cars as sightseeing tour fleet cars.

Note there is only one Packard, a '55 Clipper sedan among the group but also a Borgward station wagon!

Steve

Attach file:

---

  (169.10 KB)

The top of the line Crown Imperial limousines were a special order model custom finished by Derham, an old line custom body outfit in Rosemont near Philadelphia.

They got cars from Chrysler and repainted them completely then trimmed and finished them to the customer's specifications.

The modification of the rear doors would be typical of the custom work they offered. They made ambulances and cars specially modified for clients confined to wheelchairs and with other disabilities.

Chrysler tooled up the limousine body that was built as a Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler and Imperial. They sold about 20,000 of them between 1949 and 1954. This helped amortize the tooling and held costs down.

The new 1949s were late to be introduced, in fact some 1948 style Chryslers were sold as early 1949 models. The limousine body was the last to be ready and the 1949s were only sold for 3 or 4 months before being replaced by the 1950s.

The Packard method of combining the 2 door and 4 door body shells plus new roof and door stampings, was a very clever and efficient way of producing a limousine body. And far from obvious to the eye.

If Packard had offered a series of limousines and 8 passenger sedans on 200, 300 and 400 chassis they may have sold enough in total, to bring down the cost. The sight of Packard limousines on the street cannot have hurt their prestige even if they were in funeral,for hire and airport service. And they could have made the top of the line jobs more competitive with Cadillac and Imperial.

There is a better quality one of this on the Old Motor. Also, much discussion there about the airplane in the photo. Has anyone here seen it?

(o{}o)

he 14,000 or so 49-54 long wheelbase Imperals, Chryslers, Desotos and Dodges were manufactured in-house by Chrysler's Briggs body division. Derham made some one-offs for Chrysler and Imperial divisions and of course some on request for individual owners both on standard and long wheelbases.. The 250 approx 55-56 catalog long wheelbase C-70 8 pass sedans and limousines were likewise made in-house by Briggs. There was one very special 55 Imperial Derham limousine made for the Eisenhowers with no C pillar , resulting in hardtop styling for the rear compartment. It also sported a sunroof so Ike could stand up and wave during parades.

In 57-65 and possibly later, factory offered Imperial limousines were constructed by Ghia of Turin Italy. At no time did Derham ever produce more than a handful of Imperial limousines per year, all were retail sales.

We have a LWB 55 Imperial in our restoration shop and it has none of the traditional Derham features, it's just a longer Imperial.

Hi Jfrom@Kanter

"There was one very special 55 Imperial Derham limousine made for the Eisenhowers with no C pillar , resulting in hardtop styling for the rear compartment. It also sported a sunroof so Ike could stand up and wave during parades."

And, here it is. It was written up in Car Classics magazine 20+ years ago.

Derham's stock and trade by the 1950's was largely applying padded formal tops and partition windows to luxury sedans as they did for Packard. Various Cadillacs, Imperials, Lincolns and even Buick Roadmasters are extant or have been documented with their work. A few more involved projects such as the Continental Mark II convertible show car were done but increasing rare as time wore on.

Steve

Attach file:

---

  (55.14 KB)

Packard lost money on every lwb 53-54 car built. Nance tried hard to get Packard's name back on the luxury map and this was a smart step to try. They were fine cars and Henney did great work on them. Many leftover 1953's were sold in the middle of 1954 at Cavalier prices. Many larger families bought them to carry around multiple kids before the minivan era.

Quote:

You DO know that President Eisenhower also had a special Lincoln bubbletop Cosmo parade limo built to his specifications just before this period.

And while the names of Henney and Dietrich always turn up with mention of this car...I'll just let you guess who actually built and engineered this car. Ike cruised through downtown Detroit with this Cosmo in the 1950s and also rode around in it with the Queen of England.

By the way, several photos of this car will be in the book on Creative Industries... along with some surprises about a connection between a Packard and the JFK assassination Lincoln...

I'm assuming this is the '50 Lincoln prior to its rework for the bubble top? A very handsome vehicle IMO.

Attach file:

---

  (22.61 KB)

Quote:

Ahh, yes, this is the car. By the way, I liked it better with the fender skirts. Anyhow, it continued to look just like this after the bubble top (which was fully removable) was added... but with the exception of one other visible feature. Know what that was?

Oh and since we're quizzing, did you know that a Packard stylist (actually 2 of them) worked on this car?