Packard rarely shocked the automotive world, focusing instead on conservative engineering, fine craftsmanship and gradual evolution, so its 1941 Clipper was thus remarkable. Styling industry wide had been moving toward lower, less boxy cars and the Clipper’s streamlined roundness leaped to the front.
The new car was cleanly sculpted with fenders seemingly part of the body and a high, narrow grille with fine horizontal bars marking what Special Interest American Cars called Packard’s first use of a horizontal theme. It was well received and what had been almost tentative in 1941 with the Clipper’s being just one of 10 Packard models grew to six Clippers for 1942.
1946 Packard Line Makes Everything a Clipper
When Packard resumed production after World War II, it built only Clippers, according to the Standard Catalog. A 1946 Packard was almost indistinguishable from a 1942 Packard since it was merely an updated version of the latter. Using the older body wasn’t a problem in itself – nearly all of the early postwar American cars had done the same – but Packard blurred the distinction between its high- and low-end models. For a builder of luxury cars, that was a mistake.
The 1948 Packard dropped the “:Clipper” name and almost eliminated Clipper styling, according to "American Cars of the 1940s". Enough of the Clipper’s look remained to ensure visual continuity and the 1949 Packard didn’t change that, but Packard now faced another problem beyond its too-similar models.
The 1949 Cadillac, according to Chilton’s Manual, arrived with a new V-8 engine. It was a modern oversquare design – the diameter of each cylinder was larger than the length of each piston’s stroke – with overhead valves and while Packard’s inline flathead eight was excellent, it was dated.
1951 Packard Brings a Modern Look
The 1950 Packard again used the 1948 body and when its replacement arrived, according to the Standard Catalog, it was completely different in appearance. The roof, hood and trunklid were flatter, as were the sides – even if a gentle reminder of a separate rear fender appeared as a stamping on the quarter panel – and a one-piece windshield and curved backlight arrived. Packard offered its first two-door hardtop and came up with new model names as it pushed to clarify its hierarchy.
That body continued for four years with mostly typical annual updates, but not everything was routine; the “Clipper” name reappeared in 1953 on Packard’s entry in the mid-priced market, according to the Standard Catalog, and the flagship Caribbean convertible was launched that year to battle Cadillac’s Eldorado. Things were not going well, though, as the body was dated, the flathead engine was now an embarrassment and the ultra-prestigious long-wheelbase models introduced in 1953 generated few sales.
1955 Packard Meant a Fresh Start
Even Packard’s unblemished reputation for quality couldn’t retain old customers and attract new ones in sufficient numbers. The solution, it seemed, was a merger, so on October 1, 1954, Studebaker-Packard Corporation was established.
The combined entity was a major business development and was matched by something equally important in terms of product as the 1955 Packard was almost totally new. The 1951 body was restyled from the beltline down and given a wraparound windshield, color combinations in tune with the times and liberal application of chrome. Eyebrows topped the headlights while large vertical taillights bracketed the rear and incredibly, what was under the skin was even more innovative.
The old straight eight was gone and in its place, according to Chilton’s Manual, was a modern V-8. Its 352 cubic inches generated 275 horsepower when equipped with dual four-barrel carburetors in a Caribbean or 260 horsepower with one carb in a Patrician or 400. Either way, it bested the comparable Cadillac.
Packard was back.
1956 Packard Makes the Most of the Last Chance
Packard, though, wasn’t back. It sold 55,000 cars in 1955, according to the Standard Catalog, and began spiraling out of control. Packard addressed the 1955 model’s new-car teething problems, but the Studebaker merger wasn’t working out and customer confidence was evaporating. Still, Packard would not quit.
The 1956 Packard arrived with minor styling changes, according to the Standard Catalog. A sharp eye would detect that the headlight hoods were now longer than those of the 1955 Packard and the new grille was somewhat heavier with its bumper bullets moved outward. Even less obvious were the reshaped parking lights that again wrapped around to provide visibility from the sides.
The update was subtle after the previous year’s big leap and much the same was true mechanically. Torsion-Level Ride – an active suspension with lengthwise torsion bars that automatically leveled the car to compensate for loads – returned for its second year and the Ultramatic transmission was now controlled by pushbuttons, but the best part was that the engine was up to 374 cubic inches and produced 310 horsepower with two four-barrels in the Caribbean. Even in the Patrician and 400, it was good for 290.
Studebaker-Packard had been rethinking its corporate strategy, too, at least as far as the Packard side of the family was concerned. The Clipper therefore became an independent make in the medium-priced field and the Executive was added as a model to bridge the price gap from Clipper up to Packard. The plan was completely in place and it failed. By now, it didn’t matter whether the Packard was a good car or a bad car, stylish or tacky, fast or slow. The company had fallen so far that even a Cadillac with Packard nameplates probably wouldn’t have succeeded and according to the Standard Catalog, Packard closed the year with 28,835 sales, including Clippers.
1958 Packard Marks the End
It was out of money and continued for two more years by badge-engineering Studebakers. The 1957 Packard Clipper – its sole model – was based on the Studebaker President and the 1958 Packard and Packard Hawk were essentially a retrimmed Studebaker President and Studebaker Hawk, respectively. In all, just 7431 Packards were sold over those two years, according to the Standard Catalog, and sadly, Packard’s fall was complete; already, The Official 1957-’58 Automobile Handbook observed with a sad finality that Packard had once occupied the place then held by Cadillac.
Studebaker-Packard Corporation dropped “Packard” from its name in 1962 and built its last Studebaker in 1966.
References:
- Barnard, Charles N., Ed. Official 1957-58 Automobile Handbook. New York: A.S. Barnes & Company, Incorporated, 1957.
- Grey, Andrew D., Ed. Chilton’s Automobile Repair Manual 29th Edition. Philadelphia: Chilton Company, 1958.
- Gunnell, John, Ed. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1987.
- Murray, Spence, Ed. Peterson’s Special Interest American Cars (1930-1960). Los Angeles: Peterson Publishing Company, 1976.
- Vanderveen, Bart H., Ed. Olyslager Organisation NV. Olyslager Auto Library American Cars of the 1940s. London: Frederick Warne & Company Ltd., 1972.
Bob Tomaine - Automotive writer and photographer Bob Tomaine is a regular contributor to Auto Restorer, AutoWeek and Old Cars Weekly as well as a ...
