Who has the last laugh?

[WCraigH]

All who posted on the "Packard Quality" thread (except PFH): great thread!

As a varient to this theme, after around 50+ years removed, [color:"red"] who has the last laugh? [/color]

By this I mean:

(1) Brand [color:"red"] non-[/color]recognition or [color:"green"] "Wow, what is that?" [/color] I think almost any Packard wins this one.

(2) Cool car: If you're driving around, which car gets more attention. Packards, natch!

(3) Technocrocy: 1955-56 Packards wins hands down for the era.

(4) Mid-50s glitz: 1955-56 Packards had as much or more than anything else.

There are so many stories extant about drivng our Packards around, one has to refer to prior threads to even get an inkling. No mid-50s Caddy, Buick, Olds, Ford or Chevy can match it, IMHO.

[1956Packard]

I find these threads to be like a car wreck on the highway - especially the quality one. You know you shouldn't look but....

Craig you're right on the mark though.

I get far more comments / interest in my '56 Packards than I ever did with any other of my cars. I am always amazed that when I take it out to the local gatherings it attracts a crowd faster than most other cars. And this is despite the fact my car is pretty much all original (paint and all) with 60k miles and is not as shiny as other cars. The one question I hate answering though, is ?when I am going to restore it?. I usually remind people that they are looking at an original, unmolested, clean car. The gentleman who I bought it from referred to it as its ?patina?. I think that is a great description.

I'm also careful about leaving the door to the shop open when I'm working on it. If I don't want someone to come and talk to me I keep it closed. I also like the fact I own the example of this car in this part of the country. I've yet to see another.

Maybe I enjoy abuse, but I also like to work on a car that has its unique problems. When you talk with people they also seem to genuinely like to hear about unique problems rather than the usual stuff one goes through with every other collector car.

To add one more thing to Craig's list I also find it interesting (and I don't wish to start a debate here). These cars were not overly desirable when new - even less when they were used. Now as collector cars their value is as high as their contemporaries. I'd say that is pretty unique.

Finally, I don?t mean to sound like a jack-ass (?cause I do read all the threads and posts) but it really doesn?t matter to me why the company folded.

Geoff

[Albert]

Yes that is one thing i have noticed about the Packard is it does stick out, but how many times do we get people comming up to us going " thats a nice ford, my dad had one just like it" or "Who makes Packard". I went down to the transportation office to get a new ownership made up for a car i bought 4 years ago, and the girl behind the counter kept asking the make, expecting ford or gm, then asked for the VIN #, when i told her they dont have Vin#s pryor to the 60's, She then phoned the head office and confermed what i said. Finally since i drove a friends 55 Clipper there and had it's ownership she just copied all the information and changed the year, colour and the body#.But to me does it really matter why Packard is not hear today? We all must enjoy all the defects they have or else you would not be driving them, And who really cares if it wont do 140 anymore we have them to have fun with and be different.

Got a good chuckle about the questions one gets asked when you drive up in a Packard. The most offended I got was when someone said, "Oh, yeah a Packard. They were made by Plymouth."

[Randy Berger]

One of my favorites is when they look in the engine compartment and see the brake-fluid safety reservoir, particularly because I use silicon fluid and the purple fluid really stands out. Some folks ask and others, wanting to be the know-it-all make things up to tell their girlfriends/wives. I heard one explaining that it was the windshield washer jar filled with a special cleaning solution. I have the manual control for the T/L and that always makes the jaws drop and the ooohs and ahhs start. It is a vehicle to enjoy except I am usually the only Packard there. I missed the night a couple weeks ago when Ed Blennd (of V-12 fame) brought his 1934 coupe roadster to the local cruise. If we had been parked adjacent, I could have records tons of oohs and ahhs. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/image...lins/grin.gif" alt="" />
YFAM, Randy Berger

Yeah..isnt it amazing...a company that died almost FIFTY years ago, STILL has such "product recognition" ! There is SO much to be passionate about, in our love for what Packard was. For example, not only did Packard have a determination to provide an excellent buy for the dollar, its efforts for excellence went beyond the product itself. How many of you know that Packard's engineering dept. designed standards for blue-prints and engineering terminology, that were a major factor in developing higher quality in mass-produced products. How many of you know that our highway system was originally a PACKARD project, "pushed" by Packard !

Here's another "last laugh" for you. In the late 1930's General Motor's ALLISON Div. came up with an excellent 12 cyl. aircraft motor. But..Rolls Royce, who knew of Packard's even greater excellence in engineering, picked PACKARD to re-design its V-12...the famous "Merlin". As many of you know, Packard had vast experience in over-head valve and over-head cam high performance engines - it wasn't called "The Master Motor Builder fur nuthin !

Packard took the cantankerous Rolls design, refined it, changed all the dimensions to AMERICAN standards, and came up with a "Packard Merlin" that even today, is the first choice for fast racing airplanes. Wonder how THAT sets with GM fans.....!

Pete Hartmann

[6219_Rules]

I thought I would interject that while out today in Denver, my son and I found a 1950 Packard (no model number was visible) four door in good condition for $6995.00. I was really tempted had I some extra gelt to pay for it. I liked it and was impressed with how well it had held up.
If anyone is interested in calling on it, I can email you the number and address.