Packard Mayfair
The Packard Mayfair was a hardtop coupe that the Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit built in the model years 1951, 1952 and 1953 as part of the 250 series . The technical details are identical to the convertible (Cabriolet) of the respective year.
Model history
On August 24, 1950, Packard presented its latest generation for the 1951 model year with its 24th series . It was developed under chief engineer William H. Graves and chief designer John Reinhart and consisted of the 200 , 200 Deluxe , 250 , 300 and Patrician 400 series . Were available chassis with two wheelbases : 3099 mm (122 in.) For 200 , 200 Deluxe and 250 and 3,226 mm (127 in.) For 300 and Patrician 400 the latter only as a four-door sedans, with Packard Touring Sedan called, were available . Packard called the new, competitive design for the first time in years, contour styling .
1951
The 250 series originally consisted of a two-door hardtop (referred to as the Sports Coupé by Packard ), which was shortly followed by a convertible called a convertible. The two variants shared the chassis of the 200, which was additionally stiffened to compensate for the lack of a load-bearing B-pillar . Shortly after the market launch, Packard added the additional designation Mayfair for the hardtop.
While, as mentioned, the chassis and body were derived from the 200 , the technology was based on that of the 4-door model 300 . The equipment standard also became increasingly comparable. Very early 250 hardtops and analog convertibles had external features of the 200 and 200 Deluxe series , such as the radiator grille without the vertical "teeth" of the more expensive models. Likewise, there was no chrome trim on the rear fenders for the early models .
This initially seemingly logical allocation of the sportier coupés and convertibles to the small series - hence the series designation 250 - increasingly proved to be unfavorable. The market demanded a more luxurious appearance for such variants. That is why the Mayfair and Convertible received the other radiator grille and four decorative elements on the rear fender very early in the model year, also jokingly called "bottle openers" because of their shape. The 250s in the new trim were already on display at the Packard stand at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1951. Because there was a lack of funds for corresponding models on the larger chassis, Packard took the market situation into account by gradually upgrading the 250 series.
Packard kept the traditional eight-cylinder in-line engine from its own production and increasingly used the term "Thunderbolt" for it , and from 1953 also on the cylinder head . The now quite old engine with side-mounted valves came from the 1930s and was available in two displacement sizes. The smaller with 4,721 cm³ or 288 ci displacement and mechanical tappets was reserved for the 200 and 200 Deluxe . The larger version, with a displacement of 5,359 cm³ (327 ci) (bore × stroke = 88.9 mm × 107.95 mm) and hydraulic tappets, was available in a version with five or seven bearing crankshafts . The increased design effort was not used to increase performance, but to make an already quiet engine even quieter. It was reserved for the Patrician 400 . Marketing began to use the term "Thunderbolt" for these motors.
250 including Mayfair and 300 were reserved for the 5.3-liter unit with five-bearing crankshaft. It made 150 bhp (112 kW) resp. 155 bhp (116 kW) with the optionally available higher compression of (7.8: 1 instead of 7.0: 1). A three-speed manual transmission with synchronization of the two upper gears was installed as standard. Overdrive or the new Ultramatic automatic transmission developed in-house were optionally available. If the existing, not exactly restrained, chrome jewelry was not enough, you could order a chrome attachment for the rear fenders for the models 200, 200 Deluxe, 250 and 300, which looked like small tail fins. A rather unusual option for all closed models at the time was a single wiper for the rear window.
At 1,588 Mayfair and 2,572 convertibles , sales remained well below expectations.
1952
The 25th series was launched on November 14, 1952 with minimal changes: On the hood a coat of arms replaced the brand logo in block letters and the Cormorant - hood ornament on 250 , 300 and Patrician 400 left the wing opposite the 24 series hanging something. Mayfair and Convertible now had three instead of 4 decorative elements on the rear flank. The door locks were revised and twice as much insulation material was installed as in the previous year. The interior was redesigned with the help of fashion consultant Dorothy Draper . For the first time, tinted lenses, called Solex sun shade , were available for US $ 45 . The color was green, with the windshield darker at the top and gradually lighter downwards.
Little was changed on the engines. The 5.3 liter could now also be ordered as an extra at US $ 45 for the 200 and 200 Deluxe . Also overdrive and Ultramatic cost extra charge: 102 US $ and 189 US $. This in-house automatic was not only the only one offered by an independent car manufacturer (from the major US manufacturers), it was also one of the cheapest on the market. Only Oldsmobile charged a little less for its version of the Hydramatic and that from Mercury was practically the same price. The greatest technical innovation, however, was undoubtedly the introduction of servo brakes. At Packard they were called Easamatic and, like the Ultramatic, were standard in the Patrician 400 . For all other models, they were $ 39 extra. Bendix Aviation Corporation had developed the system under the name TreadleVac , and it was adapted together with Packard. Until the end of the 1950s, it was used by various manufacturers, primarily in passenger cars. Packard used TreadleVac at least until 1956. It was typical of the brand's customer service to offer a retrofit kit for the servo brakes for customers with a Packard of the 24th series.
1953
The 26th series, introduced on November 21, 1951, brought significantly more changes. The vehicles received a slight facelift (the first by the new chief designer Richard A. Teague ). The front mask looked much more modern with a "crossbar" across the entire width. In addition, the chrome on the flank has been refreshed. Advertising documents and early deliveries show the three chrome trim parts called "can openers" on the rear fender; these were omitted early in the model year.
There were also new taillights (again different for the larger models) and new names. The cheapest models were called Clipper and Clipper Deluxe , the 300 became the Cavalier and the Patrician lost the additional designation "400". For Mayfair and Convertible, that didn't change. Technically identical, the new Caribbean Cabriolet was much more expensive because of the luxury equipment .
The engines received a boost in power through a higher compression and other carburetor systems. Mayfair, Convertible, Caribbean and Patrician now produced 180 bhp (134 kW), the latter still with the engine with nine-bearing crankshafts. Clipper had the 4.7 liter engine with now 150 hp (112 kW) and Clipper Deluxe a version of the 5.3 liter with mechanical tappets and 160 bhp (119 kW).
Especially the "sporty" (for American terms) models from Packard increasingly suffered from being unable to offer a V8 engine . As always with Packard, the power was nominally sufficient to keep up with the competition (the large engine was even more powerful than the modern V8 of arch-rival Cadillac with 165 bhp or 123 kW). The smooth, unexcited characteristics of the large in-line engines felt anything but sporty.
For reasons beyond the control of management (e.g. the unexpected loss of the bodywork supplier Briggs Manufacturing Company from 1955), there was a lack of funds to put the planned, new model series with the already developed, in-house V8 into series production. Instead, another facelift had to suffice for 1954 - with, as expected, very poor sales results. The Mayfair was succeeded by the Packard Pacific in 1954 and the Clipper series also featured a hardtop for the first time with the Super Panama . While the Cavalier had to make do with 185 bhp (138 kW) , in the last year of production of Packard in-line engines , Patrician , Caribbean , Convertible and Pacific shared the gigantic eight-cylinder, now enlarged to 5884 cm³ (359 ci) with nine-bearing crankshafts and 212 bhp (158 kW) - the largest and most powerful series car engine worldwide.
Hardtop Coupés production, 1951–1954
| Construction year | model | Model no. | engine | Performance bhp | New price US $ | production |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 250 / Mayfair | 2401-2467 | 5359 cm³ (327 ci) | 150/155 | 3.166 | 1588 |
| 1952 | Mayfair | 2531-2577 | 5359 cm³ (327 ci) | 150/155 | 3.293 | 5201 |
| 1953 | Mayfair | 2631-2677 | 5359 cm³ (327 ci) | 180 | 3.268 | 5150 |
| 1954 | Clipper Super Panama | 5401-5467 | 5359 cm³ (327 ci) | 165 | 3.125 | 3618 |
| 1954 | Pacific | 5431-5477 | 5884 cm³ (359 ci) | 212 | 3.827 | 1189 |
Production figures refer to the model year; 1952: Mayfair and Convertible together. 1954: Clipper Super Business Coupé and Panama together.
Web links
swell
- Gunnell, John (editor): The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975 , Krause Publications (2002), ISBN 0-87349-461-X .
- Dawes, Nathaniel D .: “The Packard: 1942–1962” - AS Barnes & Co. Inc., Cranbury NJ (1975), ISBN 0-498-01353-7 .
- Patrick, Mark A. (Editor), Packard Motor Cars 1946-1958 Photo Archive ; Iconographix Osceola WI (1996), ISBN 1-882256-45-X .
- Marvin, Robert B. (Dr.): The Packard Identification Guide Volume One, 2nd Edition ; R-Mac Publications (1990)
- Kimes, Beverly Rae (Editor), Packard, A History of the Motor Car and the Company - General edition - (1978) Automobile Quarterly, " ISBN 0-915038-11-0
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dawes, Nathaniel D .: “The Packard: 1942–1962” - AS Barnes & Co. Inc., Cranbury NJ (1975), ISBN 0-498-01353-7 ; Page 74
- ↑ a b Dawes; P. 84
- ↑ Dawes; P. 77
- ^ Patrick, Mark A. (Editor), Packard Motor Cars 1946–1958 Photo Archive ; Iconographix Osceola WI (1996), ISBN 1-882256-45-X ; P. 62
- ↑ http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10517/Packard-Series-250.aspx 1951 Packard 250 Convertible (dark red) at Conceptcarz
- ↑ Dawes; P. 76
- ↑ http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10517/Packard-Series-250.aspx Conceptcarz
- ↑ Dawes; P. 92