Clipper (car brand)

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Clipper Super Touring Sedan Model 5642 (1956)

Clipper was a proprietary brand of the American automobile manufacturer Studebaker-Packard Corporation, which was only marketed in the 1956 model year. Clipper were mid-range cars such as Dodge , Oldsmobile and Mercury .

description

The 1955 and 1956 Packard and Clipper are among the most innovative vehicles of their time. Although cost reasons did not allow a completely new chassis and the body structure from 1951 had to be used for the last time, these automobiles are bursting with technical innovations. Packard never made “cheap” cars either. The entry-level model Clipper Deluxe already had a price tag that put it in the region of a Jaguar Mk I or Mercedes-Benz 220 . Anyone who could even afford a Packard Caribbean was in a price range in which a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley was also available.

The name Clipper first appeared at Packard in 1941 for a pioneering sedan in the upper middle class. Later, James Nance , since 1952 president of Packard and later Studebaker-Packard, tried to split off the name Clipper as a separate brand and to re-establish Packard as a pure luxury automobile manufacturer. Therefore, Clipper was introduced as a separate brand for the 1956 model year by creating a separate Packard-Clipper division within the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. Packard dealers have been required to sell Clipper on a franchise basis. In addition, Studebaker dealers in regions where there were no Packard dealerships were also allowed to sign such franchise agreements. They could then sell other Packard models as well, as far as the factory allowed.

These efforts began to emerge from model year 1953 when the model name [Clipper] replaced the previous designation "200" for the smaller series. From 1954 onwards, Clipper received more and more independent design elements in order to visually distinguish them from the so-called “senior” models. Packard Clipper got its own chrome equipment and other fenders including taillights. When Packard introduced a completely revised model in 1955, the Clipper kept these fenders and got its own two-tone paint job, which for the first time went beyond a differently painted roof. During the model year, the color separation was supplemented because it had been shown that the Pontiac, which was priced a little below the Packard Clipper, had a very similar color separation.

In 1956, as an independent brand, Clipper not only got its own advertising slogan (“Skipper The Clipper”), but also its own logo. It represented a ship's steering wheel and was proudly emblazoned in the middle of the radiator grille, on the trunk lid, on the C-pillar of the Super and Custom models and on the inside both on the steering wheel hub and on the dashboard (including the model name).

technology

The Clipper was a slightly smaller version of the Packard, and like it was a quality automobile through and through. After a veritable firework of technical innovations had started in 1955, these were refined for 1956.

The V8 engine with a displacement of 352 cubic inches (5801 cm³) and overhead valves (ohv), which was only just introduced for the large models, was no longer sufficient for management. An even larger engine with 374 cubic inches (6130 cm³) and 290 resp. 310 HP performance was introduced in 1956. The Clipper thus took over the 352 engine, which the Clipper Custom had already received in 1955. The 320 cubic-inch V8 (5245 cm³) from 1955 was also replaced by the 352 for external customers such as AMC (Nash and Hudson), which in this form only delivered 220 bhp @ 4600 / min (164 kW).

In 1956, too, critics judged Packard and Clipper to have outstanding performance and above-average handling. This was largely due to the Torsion-Level Ride suspension using torsion bars. This suspension was introduced in 1955 and was standard on all Packard and the Packard Clipper Custom. In 1956 it was part of the basic equipment of all Packard and Clipper, only the cheapest model, the Clipper Deluxe, was supplied with conventional suspension on request and free of charge, probably to dismantle 1955 stock parts.

“Twin Ultramatic”, the in-house automatic system (with which third-party customers such as AMC were not allowed to advertise), had also been further refined. It already had two driving areas with different gradations in principle worked like a transmission with sports and economy areas. An electric pushbutton control was now available for this transmission as an option for $ 56.

For the first time in the US industry, a rear axle with a locking differential from Dana-Spicer was also available. However, for the first time in the history of the Packard Automobile brand, this axle had to be recalled. Clipper were also affected.

design

The designers under Richard Teague (who was responsible for the thorough visual refreshment in 1955) again succeeded in working out striking visual differences between Packard and Clipper with a maximum number of common parts. In addition to bonnets, new, beefier trunk lids, roofs, doors, etc., the same bumpers at the front and rear were used. As in the previous year, however, Clipper had a radiator grille with chrome bars (which were now arranged horizontally instead of vertically), while at Packard it consisted of a coarse chrome check pattern backed by an anodized aluminum grille (similar to the previous year). The grille now also covered the opening under the bumper. The silver anodized grille was replaced by a gold anodized one early in the model year. Clipper also had a simple, chrome-plated lamp mount. At Packard, this consisted of a chrome frame and a painted decorative sheet behind it. Clipper also received their own hood ornament, which consisted of a spear piercing a bullet.

The front and rear fenders were also different. The front of the Clipper lacked the “roofs” over the headlights (which were not a disadvantage in practice, they were very exposed even in light collisions) and the rear was due to the shorter wheelbase (127 inches for the Packard and 122 for the Clipper) other form. While the Packard only used a slightly modified version of the 55 “Cathedral” taillights, the Clipper received completely new, elongated curved units.

The manufacturing problems with the body were finally solved. They had occurred due to a hasty move into the new and actually too small body shop on Conner Avenue and had led to customer complaints. The limited space also prevented Packard or Clipper from being able to push the urgently needed station wagon version.

Models

The model range of the new Clipper remained unchanged. Again there was a deluxe "Touring Sedan" as a price breaker. This was followed by the identically motorized Super series, also with a touring sedan and a two-door hardtop. At the top of the brand was the Custom , which was also available in these two versions. The additional names previously used for the hardtops Panama in the Super series and Constellation in the Custom series have been deleted without replacement, although they are used unofficially from time to time.

The slight face-lift, which, like most US manufacturers, took place annually, included a new color separation for the super and custom models. The second color now encompassed the roof and a strip on the flank that led straight from the front to the rear at the top, but widened in an elegant curve from around the center of the body. Packard made little changes and only brought the aluminum application on the flank to the rear.

While the Clipper Super and Custom only differ externally by an additional chrome strip on the sill of the Custom, the Deluxe Touring Sedan has many peculiarities. Its flank chrome is limited to one front strip, which runs from the front end of the body to the center of the front door. A second chrome strip starts in the middle of the rear door and ends at the reversing light. The C-pillar is completely independent. A two-tone paint job was limited to an alternative color for the roof.

The wheel covers of the Deluxe were a curiosity. They were the only ones adopted from the previous year's model and therefore the only ones in the Clipper series that proudly read PACKARD-CLIPPER.

Adjustments in the model year

In the middle of the model year, dealers began to complain that customers were not buying these cars because they were actually Packards, but that there was no sign of anything to tell.

After Nance had to watch how many of his dealers switched to Mercury, he reacted on two sides: the demand that the name Packard should appear somewhere on the Clipper, he reluctantly complied and had a lettering put on the lower right of the trunk lid. As part of an inspection, this chrome lettering was also added retrospectively and free of charge so that today clippers without it are less common than those with.

But above all, Nance introduced a new model: the Packard Executive . From March 15, 1956, it replaced the previous Clipper Custom, with which it was technically identical. This only Packard on a 122-inch chassis had a full Packard front and Packard logos wherever the Clipper steering wheel had previously been embossed. The strip on the side did not show the clipper curve downwards, but neither did the metal appliqué of the large models. The rear end was identical to that of the Clipper except for logos and fonts. The interior also came almost entirely from the Clipper Custom. In addition to the identification marks, the Executive received the Packard dashboard (with a textile cover made of gold instead of silver threads and other decorations) but the new, now blue-backed instruments of the Clipper; at Packard these were still highlighted in white. The Clipper instrumentation also included warning lights instead of indicators for oil pressure and temperature. In terms of price, the Executive was about US $ 200 more than the Clipper Custom, but it also had more basic equipment.

The 1956 model year production for Packard and Clipper ended on September 25th. Earlier, Studebaker-Packard had been taken over by the Curtiss-Wright armaments company, which prevented the entire group from going bankrupt. Most of the management team, including James Nance and Richard Teague, left the company. The Packard plants on East Grand Boulevard and the body shop on Conner Avenue in Detroit were then closed. But while there was a new Packard for 1957, the Clipper brand was no longer needed - Packard now only sold itself in the Clipper market segment. The 1957 Packard was based entirely on the Studebaker President Classic and rolled off the assembly line at the Studebaker factory in South Bend, Indiana . With them the name Clipper reappeared - but only as a model name but complete with the ship's steering wheel on the bow.

The rear light of the 1956 Clipper was used for both the 1957 and 1958 Packard models from South Bend, which should have caused quite a headache for the Studebaker designers. Thus, of all things, a component that was otherwise redesigned every year became one of the most durable and testified to the Clipper brand when it was long gone.

1956 Clipper and Packard with 122-inch chassis

series Model name Model no. body Production piece List price in US $
5640 Deluxe 5622 Touring Sedan 4-door 5716 2731
5640 great 5642 Touring Sedan 4-door 5173 2866
5640 great 5647 Hardtop 2-door 3999 2916
5660 Custom 5662 Touring Sedan 4-door 2219 3069
5660 Custom 5667 Hardtop 2-door 1466 3164
5670 Packard Executive 5672 Touring Sedan 4-door 1784 3465
5670 Packard Executive 5677 Hardtop 2-door 1031 3560

The model year lasted from November 3, 1955 to June 25, 1956, with the Clipper Custom being replaced by the Packard Executive on March 15. The total production amounted to 18,572 pieces (excluding exports).

All Clipper and Packard Executive have in common the ohv V8 engine with 352 cubic inches of displacement (5801 cm³), which made in the Deluxe and Super 240 HP (SAE) at 4600 rpm. Custom and Executive had a higher compression version of this engine with 275 HP (SAE) at 4600 rpm.

The chassis of a Clipper Custom was used as the basis for the Packard Predictor show car , which was to anticipate the planned design direction for 1957.

literature

  • Dennis Adler: Packard. Motorbooks Classics, 2004, ISBN 0-7603-1928-6 .
  • James A. Ward: The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company. University Press, 1995, ISBN 0-8047-2457-1 .
  • Robert E. Turnquist: The Packard Story (The Car and the Company). Somerset Press.
  • Robert B. Marvin: The Packard Identification Guide Volume One. 2nd Edition. R-Mac Publications, 1990.
  • Consumer's Guide (Ed.): Encyclopedia of American Cars from 1930. Publications International, 1993, ISBN 0-7853-0175-5 .
  • G. Marshall Naul, R. Perry Zavitz (Eds.): The Specification Book For US Cars 1930-1969. Motorbooks International, 1980, ISBN 0-87938-068-3 .
  • Jerry Heasley: The Production Figure Book For US Cars. Motorbooks International, 1977, ISBN 0-87938-042-X .
  • John A. Gunnell: Standard Catalog of American Motors, 1902-1987. 1st edition. Krause Publications, Iola WI 1993, ISBN 0-87341-232-X . (English)
  • Beverly Rae Kimes (Ed.): Packard, a history of the motor car and the company. (= Automobile Quarterly ). General edition. Princeton Publ., 1978, ISBN 0-915038-11-0 .
  • Nathaniel D. Dawes: The Packard: 1942–1962. AS Barnes & Co., Cranbury NJ 1975, ISBN 0-498-01353-7 .
  • Richard M. Langworth: Triumph and Tragedy: The Last Real Packards. In: Collectible Automobile. September 1984, ISSN  0742-812X , pp. 6-25.
  • George H. Dammann, James A. Wren: Packard. (= Crestline Series ). Motorbooks International, Osceola WI 1996, ISBN 0-7603-0104-2 .
  • Mark A. Patrick (Ed.): Packard Motor Cars 1946-1958 Photo Archive. Iconographix, Osceola WI 1996, ISBN 1-882256-45-X .
  • Tad Burness: American Car Spotter's Guide, 1940-1965. Motorbooks International, 1978, ISBN 0-87938-057-8 .
  • James H. Maloney: Studebaker Cars. Crestline Books, 1994, ISBN 0-87938-884-6 .
  • Richard Langworth: Studebaker, the Postwar Years. Motorbooks International, 1979, ISBN 0-87938-058-6 .
  • John Gunnell (Ed.): The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Krause Publications, 1987, ISBN 0-87341-096-3 .
  • Packard Clipper division, Studebaker-Packard Corporation: Clipper Dealer Sales Agreement. Studebaker-Packard Corporation, 1956, Forms 59 and 80-698.

Web links

Commons : Clipper  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gunnell: Standard Catalog of AMC , p. 176