Packard Patrician
The Packard Patrician was a four-door luxury-class -PKW by the Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit in the model years 1951 to 1954 produced and then the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend (Indiana) took over for the model years 1955 and 1956th The Patrician was at times considered the brand's top model and manufactured in the Detroit factory.
Model series
Packard Patrician 400, 1951-1952
In 1951 and 1952 the company used a numeric code to designate their vehicles; the cheaper models were called the Packard 200 and 200 Deluxe while the coupé and convertible were called the Packard 250 and the mid-range model series were called the Packard 300 .
The Packard Patrician 400 had the best equipment. It replaced the previous top model Custom 8 . These cars were easy to distinguish from other Packard models by the chrome trim on the side; the 1951 model had three chrome patterns on the rear fenders, and in 1952 there were four each. Patrician and 300 also differed in the grille; this had chrome teeth in the oval element of the grill. The 250 series also received this grill shortly after their market launch to underline their higher status.
The Patrician 400 was only available as a well-equipped four-door sedan with high-quality upholstery and chrome trim. There were also Wilton carpets and footrests for the rear passengers. With a list price of $ 3,662, the Patrician was Packard's most expensive regular model. The car had a wheelbase of 3,226 mm, which it only shared with the 300. All other Packard had a wheelbase of 3,099 mm.
All Packard were powered by powerful eight-cylinder in-line engines. The series 200 and 200 Deluxe had a version with 288 ci (4719 cm³) and 135 bhp (101 kW), all others one with 327 ci (5359 cm³) and 150 bhp (112 kW). Of course, Patrician also received the best engine that Packard could offer: with the same performance, he had nine instead of five crankshaft bearings for unrivaled smoothness.
The patrician also provided the basis for the company's Pullman versions. By 1954, the Henney Motor Company in Freeport (Illinois) built some executive sedans and corporate sedans for nine people on a wheelbase of 3759 mm . Derham in Rosemont (Pennsylvania) built a few Patrician Custom Formal Sedans with a leather-covered roof, small rear window and extremely luxurious interior. The version with a curved glass partition for the chauffeur, which was only offered from 1952 to 1953, is even rarer. The lifting mechanism was guided in such a way that hardly any guide rails were visible when the window was open. According to an old tradition, these versions have a seat cover made of black leather at the front and a special fabric at the back. Only three such copies were delivered, one model each from 1952 and 1953 remained. Derham Formal Sedans were only built to order.
1952 models received minimal attention to detail. They can be distinguished from the previous year's model by a coat of arms in the radiator grille, which is missing from the 24th series. Instead, it was delivered with Packard lettering in block letters on the front end of the bonnet. This is not entirely reliable; Masks may have been replaced afterwards. The chassis number, which begins with the number "24" or "25", provides information.
The Patrician 400 was launched together with most other Packard models in August 1951 (the 250 series appeared a little later). In the model year 1951 (24th series) 9001 Patrician 400 were built, in 1952 (25th series) there were 3975 pieces.
The model designation 400 was dropped in model year 1953, but the Patrician was still the highest equipment variant from Packard from 1953 to 1956.
1953-1954
In 1953 there were slight external adjustments for all models, in particular the radiator grille was modernized. Their oval insert was replaced by a chrome rod that was pulled laterally over the radiator frame into the fender. On senior models, including the Patrician, the middle part of this rod was made wavy, on the clipper it was smooth.
Also in the 1953 and 1954 model years, the best equipment variant from Packard was given the name "Patrician" and this in turn was the basis for the Derham Formal Sedan and the Pullmann variants from Henney.
During these years, the equipment details changed every year. 1953 was the last year for the "Thunderbolt 327" with 5359 cm³ in the Patrician and the last year in which the Patrician was the only model with an engine with a nine-bearing crankshaft and at the same time the most powerful Packard model. The power increased from 155 bhp (115.58 kW) to 180 bhp (134.23 kW). In the following year, all senior models except the Cavalier received a version of this engine enlarged to 5883 cm³ (359 ci), which delivered a uniform 212 bhp (158.08 kW) and represented the high point of the brand's in-line engine development. This was the most powerful in-line eight-cylinder of the post-war period and the most powerful US engine of 1954 - but it wasn't a V8 as the market demanded.
1955-1956
In 1955, both series were significantly revised by Packard in order to make the styling introduced in 1951 and slightly modified in 1954 look fresher. Also, more differences between the Packard and Packard Clipper models should be worked out. Under designer Richard A. Teague, the large Packard models got a more modern grille design, taillights in the “cathedral” style, sheds on the main headlights and new chrome equipment. Two-tone paintwork over a color-contrasting roof was fashionable and Packard offered them as standard or at an additional cost for all models; the Caribbean was even delivered in three colors from the factory.
Packard couldn't afford a new build above the window line, but new chrome trim on the C-pillar feigned a new roof line. The car also had a panoramic windshield , which its competitors at the time also offered. The upholstery and the chrome jewelry inside were also redesigned and a new dashboard with stainless steel applications showed the modern machine style.
In 1955 the Patrician was offered as a four-door sedan and Packard manufactured 9,127 copies.
The changes for 1956 consisted of a new headlight housing that allowed the front to move even further forward. The area around the headlights was painted black to give the impression of greater depth. The car also got a different grille pattern. In 1956, 3375 Patrician left the factory before the model was discontinued.
1957-1958
Packard's boss James Nance actually wanted to decouple the big Packards from the cheaper Clipper models in 1956, but the finances of the new Studebaker-Packard Corporation developed worse than Nance had anticipated when the two companies merged in 1954. Because of this, and because American Motors Corporation bought fewer Ultramatic automatic transmissions and Packard V8s than Nance had hoped, Packard production at the company's Detroit facility was stopped in 1957 and relocated to the former Studebaker factory in South Bend . The only Packard in the 1957 model year was a Studebaker President with the Packard logo and was named Packard Clipper . The last Packard - without a model name - left the factory in 1958 and in 1962 the management removed the name Packard from the company name.
swell
- John Gunnell (Ed.): The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Kraus Publications, 1987, ISBN 0-87341-096-3 .
- George L. Hamlin: 1951-1954 Packard, American New Choice in Fine Cars. In: Collectible Automobile. February 1992, Issue 8, No. 5, pp. 56-69.
- The Packard Cormorant ; Packard Automobile Club organ; Winter 2008, No. 129, Vol. LIV, Library of Congress card No 76-16204; 1952 (Packard) - Unique in All The World (English).