1955 Packard

There are quite a few really nice pre-1960 vehicles that have been popping up in the market over the past year or two for very reasonable prices.  If 1950 vehicles float your boat, which they do mine, now is a good time to start searching for that land yacht that you may have been yearning for.  In my experience, the American 50s vehicles offer reliability, comfort and lots of chrome with great styling and color schemes.  A good source of this genre of cars is www.classiccars.com, www.hemmings.com, and Facebook Marketplace.  

I found such a vehicle on Facebook Marketplace earlier this year - a stunning 1955 Packard 400.  This California car was the subject of a cosmetic restoration in 2000 and mechanical rebuild in 2019.  As you can see by the pictures, the color scheme of Packard Ultramarine and Zircon really pops on this car (Packard used mineral names to describe their 1955 colors).  The car runs great and drives like a dream.  1955 was the first year Packard introduced their Torsion Bar suspension which was an industry first eliminating traditional springs and coils.  There are a few items that need to be addressed on the car but nothing major.

Packard, founded in 1899 by two brothers, became the gold standard of the American luxury car segment during the 20s and 30s.  In 1942 the Packard Motor Car Company converted 100% of its manufacturing capacity to the war effort.  Packard built airplane and boat engines for US and British applications.  By the end of the war in Europe, Packard had produced over 55,000 combat engines.  In late 1945 Packard resumed vehicle production with their 1941 designs.  Most automakers were able to introduce new vehicles by 1948 and 49 but Packard was not able to introduce a new model until 1951.

Throughout the 1950s, Packard, once the luxury standard for the industry, was playing catch up.  Competitors including Cadillac and Lincoln were rapidly gaining market share with stylish designs as well as engaging in price wars damaging smaller manufacturers like Nash and Packard.  Packard's last attempt to regain lost ground was the redesign of its "Senior" (luxury) models including the Patrician and the Caribbean for the 1955 model year as well as the introduction of The Four Hundred.  Unfortunately it was too little too late and the decline continued with Packard, then Studebaker-Packard, ceasing operations in 1958.

Now you know a little history about the Packard Motor Car Company which gives you a deeper appreciation for this beauty next time you see it on our Calaveras roads.