Packard Forum Index » Studebaker Built Packards (1957 - 58)

Now, mind you, not a great deal more money but enough to possibly expand the Packard line-up but still based on the Studebaker body and chassis. If I can ever get lucky and download a picture again, I will share a vision of what a Studebaker-based Caribbean might have looked like! In any event, just introducing a new topic for discussion.

I don't know how serious this idea was and don't remember reading it anywhere else. On page 8 in the latest issue of Turning Wheels, in a column written by Andrew Beckman there is a brief paragraph on the Packard Hawk. Briefly stated highlights, he says the the Hawk initially began as a one off for Roy Hurley who had requested styling create a Hawk with a Ferrari-esque front end treatment. Hurley was impressed enough to order the car into production and despite dealer requests for the return of Packard's Caribbean name it was dubbed the Packard Hawk.

I don't really see that close a Ferrari connection since Ferrari had a much narrower opening and more swoops than the Hawk but beauty is in the eye of the purchaser. Also don't know if dealers clamored for the Caribbean name in general or for naming that car specifically but to my mind, naming that particular car a Caribbean would not have been a good move. As was mentioned in another thread a Packard treatment of the Avanti styling might have been interesting and maybe Caribbean material--but would have been several years too late.

In the Autumn issue of the Packard Cormorant there was an article with a custom conversion of the writers 57 Hawk and a treatment that looks Packard with the vertical grill. A few more refinements and that might have been worthy of the name.

Both of these comments (and lighting fast since my first post!) are very interesting and have a great deal of merit. I wonder, however, if S-P had REALLY put the "pride of workmanship first" idea on steroids, if a new American-type Mercedes might have resulted. I have often pondered what it would be like to rebuild a 57 Clipper with more sound deadening, taughter suspension, a better and more articulated dash, improved leathers and fabrics, etc. In other words, an alternative to the "luxury concept" reigning in Detroit at the time. The idea that a smaller and more agile car could provide a "new" kind of luxury would have been innovative. However, I realize that I am looking back from a present and very different perspective. But, it's fun to consider and often gets me to sleep at night.

On a technical side, can anybody help me with posting my 57 Caribbean proposal?

I go to browse, I select the picture, I select open within the box, I select attach file, then submit...and I get absolutely nothing in the way of a picture after waiting forever for the file to refresh. What am I doing wrong and where is a step-by-step set of directions on this site to accomplish this? I never seem to have this problem on E-Bay or other sites. I know it is operator error, so someone please help the operator!

Sounds as if you are trying the picture correctly. Usually failure is because of too long or an illegal character in the name, size limitation or wrong extension. Make sure the name is not too long and has no symbols. If it is larger than 2 megs it will not post. Try resizing to around 3 or 400K if it is too large and if you use the .jpg as the extension, it will view in the forum without having to be downloaded first. For resizing, if you are using Windows, there is a free resize program Kev put in the FAQs as well as many others available online for free. Irfanview is a good one. If you are using a MAC, then iPhoto will do the job using export to jpeg and Medium for the settings.

The recession of 1958 hammered alot of automakers hard. I imagine if Packard had more money in '57, they would have lost it by '58. Production numbers were down quite a bit in '58.

Thanks, Howard. I will try these in the morning; too many cocktails to try tonight. It is such a pleasure to discover folks on this site who are intelligent, witty, and informed. But, what else would you expect from a Packard aficiando!

With the dismal look of the 57/58 Studepackard I think the hand writing was on the wall. No amount of money could overcome the fact that Packard was an orphan. I think the ressurection would have taken place much earlier had the meger with AMC taken place with Jim Nances S/P and George Mason and his Nash, Hudson and Rambler. Now that would have been a force to recon with. However with Masons death and Romney taking over it was all over. Romney and Nance were not very fond of on another and neither one was willing to play second fiddle to the other. Had the merger taken place the independent AMC, IMHO would have lasted a good long time. At least long enough for the advent of the Lark. Who knows................

With the introduction of the Lowey Coupe in 1953, Studebaker was light years ahead of any American car manufacturer.When Packard bought Studebaker in 1954, they should have designed a convertible based on that car.They also should have kept a Packard Convertible in the lineup as they had in 1953 and 1954.I would also have suggested a four door Patrician hardtop.I think these cars may have kept them in business for at least 2 or 3 more years.

I could not agree more. I am suprised that in this day of retro-fit, modify, and change that someone has not taken a distressed Lowey coupe and made a convertible out of it. Just to divert for a second, I hold the same opinion of the late 60's chargers. Wow what ragtop that would have made.