When the last bank said “no” in 1956, Packard consolidated its product line and assembly into Studebaker, and except for the unwanted “Packardbakers” in 1957 and ’58, it was finished manufacturing cars. On this date in 1956, Detroit built the last Packard that was actually designed by Packard. Neither the city of Detroit nor an army of dishonest developers know what to do with it. ISSN 2576-1064 (print) This earned the corporation the reputation for delivering hand-finished precision in the details. Two months later, Curtiss-Wright started the process of selling off Packard assets. Postwar consumers had their choices of labor-saving devices at home, and with the market success of automatic transmissions and power steering, automakers were big on making everything on their cars easy to use. 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The oversized Plexiglas windshield had an extreme dog-leg that extended into the passenger compartment. It was building V12 engines by 1916, its legendary "Twin Six." Considering the company’s limited financial resources by then, Nance and his team did a great job. Hence the 1955 and 1956 Packards were the last true Packards and it was Nance who was responsible for them. Studebaker-Packard wouldn't drop the latter portion of its name until 1962, right around when the Avanti came out. 50% OFF ON ALL CAR COVERS! We had all kinds of shorts and fires and smoking wires and noises,” Teague said, and the interior still needed to be fitted. The Cars of 1960 Explain Why Your Grandparents Drive Differently, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Sales continued to dwindle, and by the 1950's, Packard had hit a new low, and in an attempt to reduce production costs, merged with the more influential Studebaker Corporation. 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In 1956, Nance resigned and Curtiss-Wright—seen as something of a saving angel—acquired control of Studebaker-Packard. Ghia delivered the Predictor by the promised deadline; it just wasn’t completed. That would be the Packard Predictor. Leno's 1955 Packard Caribbean is an unrestored, all-original car he bought in the '80s, and one of the just 500 built for 1955. Stripped down, the Predictor proved to be all steel, with no body filler, and tight panel gaps. The test run of the first Packard automobile was on November 6, 1899 in Warren, Ohio. Earlier, Nash’s George Mason and Packard’s James Nance had proposed a merger with Nash, Hudson, and Studebaker to create a company that would have been bigger than Chrysler and actually might have succeeded. 1155 Gratiot Avenue The Futura is better known as the basis for the Batmobile used in the mid-’60s television series. Packard had leased the Conner Avenue plant in Detroit from Chrysler. The idea for the Predictor was from William Schmidt, who came over from Ford in 1955 to become head of styling for Studebaker-Packard. He told Special Interest Autos in 1978 that the Predictor was “was long enough to package the things we wanted to get in the vehicle.”, As far as using a concept to introduce production features, the Predictor had features which Packard had recently introduced, such as the company’s own modern V-8, in the Clipper’s 352-cubic-inch, 260-hp version, and Packard’s exclusive self-leveling Torsion-Level suspension, along with lots of push buttons. In addition to the rear window, the side glass, roof panels, hidden headlights, Ultramatic transmission, and other features were operated by buttons, although the swiveling front bucket seats to ease entry and egress were manually rotated. Unfortunately, egos and Mason’s sudden death put an end to those plans. Studebaker was in debt when Packard merged with it in 1955, and the once-healthy latter took on the former's debt. You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. Push-button operation was big in the ’50s. A two-door hardtop was considered to have the widest appeal, so that was the design brief Teague was given. The last Packard that never was: Dick Teague’s Predictor. Dick Teague, head of styling at Packard, who would later helm design at American Motors and create the AMX and Javelin muscle cars, had done a masterful job of turning the stodgy body of the early ’50s Packard into something that doesn’t look out of place next to a ’56 Chevy. I’m personally a fan of the last real Packards, particularly the ’56 Patrician. The completed Predictor was 222 inches in length. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

As alterations were made, the Twin Six was recreated into the Liberty Aircraft engine- which was vital and essential production contributed from the industry during wartime. The lineup included the standard and De Luxe Eight in a sedan coupe and a Custom Eights models as well. ISSN 1557-7686 (online), Fixed Ops Journal The original windshield was retained, despite severe crazing, as the museum’s budget for the restoration didn’t include $30,000 for a custom-made windshield. The doors are about 10 inches thick, with steel inner panels. Richard Teague's sharper styling didn't help (he eventually went to the aforementioned AMC). Of course, just because you make luxury items doesn’t mean you’re immune from financial failure. It was a sad day in Packard's history because it was estimated that 7,500 plant employees were laid off when Packard had stopped production of its 1956 models. Choose your news – we will deliver. 1956: The Last Of The Produced Packards Today is the day that the Detroit Packard plant rolled its' last Packard off the assembly line. Packard executives wanted the car ready for the 1956 auto show circuit. A two-door hardtop was considered to have the widest appeal, so that was the design brief Teague was given. While Packard was struggling financially, it was committed to the Predictor project, eventually spending $70,000 on it (about 10 times that much in 2020 dollars), so money wasn’t an issue.