Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

With the Henney Body Company a thing of the past as Packard began to tool up for its V-8 line in 1955, suddenly the company had no source for its formal cars or commercial vehicles. It is rumored that James Nance had a limousine based on a Patrician, but it probably was not a on a lengthened chassis. Personally, I think it was a dreadful mistake for Packard not to continue such vehicles, even from just a standpoint of leadership and prestige. Alas, Cadillac was about the only volume game in town for these special cars by 1955. Here's my offering for what a V-8 Packard limousine should have looked like. Comments?

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Would the frame from the 54 Corporate Limousine work for the 55 / 56 Corporate Limousine? If not, what would?

Someone on this forum has got to build this.

Would it have Torsion Level?

Good question...and I think that is one of the sound reasons why no limousines on elongated chassis materialized.
The torsion bar system--running fore to aft--would have presented a major engineering problem and I am not sure that elongated torsion bars would be effective or strong enough. I will defer to the technical folk on this site for this one (and we sure have some qualified spokespersons!). If the limousine was to be the flagship Packard in 55-56 then it would have been a parody should that car not feature Packard's newest engineering triumph!

The limos, like the Caribbeans, were interesting with respect to their contribution to the bottom line. The Caribbeans were nice "non-discounting" items meaning they usually sold for full list price, but they also were probably loss-leaders most especially the 53 and 54s; they brought glamour and nice showroom traffic but not adding to the profit line. The same can probably be said of the 53 and 53 LWB cars, adding lustre to the line but not much if any to the profit line. If a 55/56 limo were to have been build, almost certainly it would have used a standard suspension modified as needed from that used on the early 55 Clippers.

Packard's adaption of Torsion Level across the entire senior chassis "line" was the cause of Henny closing up shop. The costs of elongating the torsion bars and engineering required far exceeded the volume of business they could hope to realize, so Henny closed up shop.
Not to say that Hess and Esienhart couldn't have come up with something if Packard had offered a coil/front leaf/rear retro chassis or kit.

It does seem a shame thatthe limousine and formal sedans were not continued for 1955 and 56. Given the low volume, I would think the standard suspension could be justified--and spun properly in a glossy brochure. I have often thought the 400 hardtop could have made a wonderful platform for conversion. Mamie Eisenhower had a "hardtop" Fleetwood and a Packard limousine with hardtop styling might have been just the thing to offset the conventional suspension.

As for the formal sedan, I'd take mine in Roman Copper and a matching roof and the light copper broadcloth piped in dark copper leather

Not a long wheelbase limo, but there have been persistent rumors throught the years of a 1955 or 1956 formal sedan based on the Patrician and modified by Derham, who had a regular diet of doing these conversions as late as 1954. One person I know has claimed to have seen it in the back of a livery service garage in Chicago about 10? years ago. It would be nice if it were true and the car surfaced one of these days.

How far would the '55-'56 frame have to have been lengthened in order to facilitate a limo, hearse or ambulance body?

Limos with 7 passenger capacity (jump seas) would require something between 144 and 150, and perhaps something over 150 for funeral service vehicles. I believe the corresponding wheelbases for 1954 limos and the Henney Senior were 149 and 156 respectively.