When we last left our dusty 1941 Packard Model 110 (Old Cars Dec. 1, 2023), she had found a new home, and even after 60-plus years, she fired up right away with only fluid changes.

There is something very special about a one-owner “garage find” that captures people’s attention and emotions. I think it has to do with our love of cars that have stories and personal history. You feel somehow more connected to a one-owner car. Its story becomes yours to tell.

Since our Sleeping Beauty still wears her 60-plus years of a protective coating of garage dust, her new owner has felt torn about washing off the accumulated history. The car was now running and driving on the original tires (but with new inner tubes), and he resisted the idea of any restoration. The condition of the paint and chrome indicated that it would polish up very well. But Eric, the new owner, resisted the urge, somehow sensing its story was best told in its as-found condition.

I would love to say that our “Sleeping Beauty” finally went to the ball, except that it was Cinderella who went to the ball, not Sleeping Beauty (a small detail). If Sleeping Beauty were to go to a ball (perhaps as Cinderella’s “plus one”), then the perfect event was the San Marino Motor Classic in San Marino, Calif., this past August. It is one of Southern California’s best car shows, if not its best. This year, there were more than 350 cars (see Sanmarinomotorclassic.com for details). An amazing collection of spectacular cars, but only one “Sleeping Beauty” as it turns out.

Eric decided to show the Model 110 at San Marino in its as-found condition, along with a poster board of the two “Tales from the Garage” columns about its discovery and resurrection. This was a big crowd pleaser. During the day, she was never alone and always had people around her, looking inside and under the split two-piece hood, and stopping to read her history on the poster boards. The car acted as a springboard into the past. While not a fancy or luxurious car, the fact that she survived and made it to the car show was a sort of symbol of survivorship. She was, barely, a prewar car, and our lives would never be the same by the next model year. Her magnetic appeal was undeniable.

Perhaps Sleeping Beauty did not go to the ball in the fairy tale, but this beauty came in the back door and stole the hearts of all the guests.

Want more “Garage Tales?” Rodney Kemerer’s new book “Tales From the Garage” is an illustrated collection of his best essays and will be available from Amazon Books. Learn more about the book at TalesFromtheGarage.com.

*Editor’s note: Rodney Kemerer’s “Tales From the Garage” column appeared for many years in Garage Style Magazine. This is his first column for Old Cars, and the staff is proud to welcome Rodney and his contributions.

Read more about the ’41 Packard below

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Shelby Township, Mich. –  In the automobile’s golden age, top marques hosted glamorous salon events, debuting their newest offerings before a hand-picked audience of their best clients. In 2024, the Packard Motor Car Foundation revived this Classic Era tradition with its first Salon Special Showing, held at the historic Packard Proving Grounds. Featuring the Custom-bodied Packards of 1931 and open to all Packards of that model year, the inaugural showing successfully re-created an actual display that had taken place at the Proving Grounds some nine decades earlier.

This year’s event maintains the same spirit but broadens its scope. Owners of all Packard Twin Six and Twelve models built from 1932 through 1939 are invited to gather, with their cars, for Calling All Twelves: A Salon Special Showing, to be held at the Packard Proving Grounds May 27–29, 2025.

With unique tours, presentations, and educational opportunities for owners, as well as a black-tie optional dinner and select public viewing hours, this will be a truly special experience for the caretakers and admirers of these distinguished cars—and it could only happen at the Packard Proving Grounds.

PACKARD’S TWELVE: THE BEST OF THE BEST

Debuting in 1932, the Packard Twin Six—renamed the Twelve the following year and built through 1939—was not the company’s first attempt at a V-12-powered offering. Much of Packard’s early renown had been built on the first-generation Twin Six, produced from 1916–1923. It is this second series of V-12 motors, however, as well as the cars that they powered, that many today believe represent the Packard Motor Car Company’s pinnacle.

Robustly engineered and expertly assembled, Packard’s V-12s featured a relatively compact, 67-degree block and made use of hydraulic valve lifters. Displacement was initially 445.5 cubic inches, growing to 473.3 cubic inches by the end of production. Power, and especially torque, was always more than adequate, and unearthly silence and uncanny smoothness was guaranteed. For those that could afford them, this was a truly refined engine from an automaker at the height of its powers.

This magnificent V-12 powered some of the finest and most luxurious automobiles of the vaunted Classic Era. An astonishing range of bodies were available, from dignified town cars and limousines to elegant convertible victorias and sporty roadsters; coachbuilders were always ready to furnish clients with spectacular one-off creations. To showcase this breadth, 1932–1939 Twin Sixes and Twelves of all chassis types and body styles are welcome at this Salon Special Showing event.

For Packard’s twelve-cylinder cars and their owners, the Proving Grounds has special meaning. So dedicated was Packard to ensuring the quality of its flagship model that, for at least the first four years of Twin Six and Twelve production, the automaker is said to have run each car through a rigorous break-in and adjustment routine at the Proving Grounds prior to customer delivery. In rare cases, Packards have even been found with paper tags still intact on the outside of the right glove box, attesting to their tour of duty on the Proving Grounds’ track.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR A REMARKABLE GATHERING

Much like the vintage events from which it draws inspiration Calling All Twelves: A Salon Special Showing is not a typical car show. Placing its focus squarely on the cars and their caretakers, this event will give owners unparalleled access to the Packard Proving Grounds facility, including behind-the scenes tours of Albert Kahn-designed buildings, briefings on the major restoration work underway on the property, and a sneak peek at future plans.

Mark Smucker, President of the Packard Motor Car Foundation, knows firsthand just how special the Proving Grounds is—and how the Salon format affords Packard owners and their guests the perfect opportunity to explore the site. 

“Car shows and tours are important events, but there is nothing like the feeling I got when driving my Packard through the arches and tree-lined driveways on the grounds where Packard developed it,” Smucker says.

Further, this salon is expected to represent the largest gathering of exclusively twelve-cylinder Packards to be held at the Proving Grounds since these cars were manufactured. In a very real sense, it will be a homecoming for those cars that were tested by Packard technicians prior to delivery to their fortunate first owners. For the proud modern-day caretakers of these special Packards, Calling All Twelves: A Salon Special Showing is an event that is not to be missed.

Public viewing hours are scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, May 28, 2025. A ticketed cocktail hour and black-tie optional dinner will follow that evening, allowing attendees to socialize and experience the Proving Grounds as a premiere event space. For Packard owners looking to extend their exploration of Southeast Michigan’s automotive heritage, a tour of sites of automotive interest will be offered on Thursday.

Following the conclusion of Salon activities, participants are encouraged to consider attending the 2025 Classic Car Club of America Museum Experience, to be held May 30–June 1 in Hickory Corners, Michigan and/or the 2025 Packard Club National Meet, to be held May 31–June 6 in Kansas City, Kansas—making for a great Packarding vacation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For up-to-date event information and details, and to learn more about the Packard Proving Grounds historic site and the Packard Motor Car Foundation, please visit: PackardProvingGrounds.org/2025Salon. 

THE HISTORIC PACKARD PROVING GROUNDS – Located approximately 30 miles north of Packard’s former Detroit factory, the Packard Proving Grounds (PPG) officially opened in 1928. Occupying over 500 acres of countryside in what was then Utica, Michigan, and constructed at a cost of over $1,000,000, many of the Proving Grounds’ buildings were designed by famed industrial architect Albert Kahn. The facility included a 2.5-mile high-speed paved track, off-road and hillclimb courses for vehicle “torture-testing,” garages, and housing for staff. The cutting-edge Proving Grounds were a tremendous point of pride for Packard—a tangible representation of the engineering and manufacturing excellence for which it was known the world over.

Today owned and operated by the Packard Motor Car Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Packard Proving Grounds comprises approximately 17 acres and is the largest and most significant surviving Packard Motor Car Company property. Restoration efforts have transformed the once-neglected Proving Grounds into a gem of American automotive history, as well as a cherished community resource.

A National Register of Historic Places-listed landmark, the Packard Proving Grounds’ iconic Gate Lodge, Timing Stand, and Elevated Water Tank have been lovingly preserved, as have the aircraft hangar and a portion of its legendary test track. Representing the site’s contribution to the Arsenal of Democracy effort is the World War II-era Tank Test Center, which now houses the Proving Grounds’ car collection, archives, and a trove of important artifacts—including the massive stone archway that once served as the employee entrance to the automaker’s Detroit headquarters.

https://packardprovinggrounds.org/

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Packard’s straight-eight preference in the 1920s was a dominating influence among luxury car makers. The choice in that bygone era was based on reasons of simplicity, economy of lesser moving parts than a V-8 engine, ease of assembly and power. The likes of other adherents, such as Duesenberg, cast an additional luxury aura around the inline configuration.

Still, from the late 1930s onward, Packard’s history was practically pricked and plagued by a growing urge to relinquish its inline for the more modern V-8 format that dominated high-end sales in the early post-World War II era. By 1955, even Packard and Pontiac, two major holdouts, jumped into the V-8 era.

A review of major articles in Packard’s mainline prewar publication, Packard Inner Circle, and its postwar equivalent, Packard News, shows the emphasis the company put in its marketing of its engines through its grassroots dealership sales force. As the corporate HQ in Detroit set the pace, salesmanship followed.

In August 1939, Packard Inner Circle headlined, “Price? $867 at the Factory! Quality? Better than Ever!”

The main emphasis was on low prices for better, finer cars in the medium-priced field. The cover of that issue was brimming with nine action photos of Packards being tested at speed on the Packard Proving Grounds. Among proponents in that action-filled event was Jimmy Lynch, a nationally known test driver who raced Packard Senior Eights for 1940 against those of Senior 1939 models with nary a thought beyond inline eights. It was as if Packard had not even acknowledged the existence of a V-design. Yet Packard had been a leader in the V-format with its Twin Six for 1916, which was designed by Packard’s venerable chief engineer, Jesse Vincent. This often is seen as a response to Cadillac’s V-8 of 1915 as a rising star attempting to eclipse the likes of higher-priced brands, especially Packard. By 1924, Packard abandoned its V-type Twelve and settled its pattern to inline improvements, but for a V-12 limited to its highest-priced, low-production Twelve models from 1932-1939.

In October 1946, when the shift to ethical business patterns graced the early postwar return to normalcy, Packard News notched up the corporate business image as “second to none” as elder dealer D.M. Campbell in Boston was quick to state. Dealers in 25 other major locations chimed the same note. No one in the “Packard family” seemed to care for anything to sell but the inline eight.

Packard’s golden anniversary, marked in 1949, promoted the company as the maker of “fine cars” that had outlasted most of its competition and still outsold them (including Cadillac). But not for very long. Still, unheeding of indications, heads of Packard’s future did not bow to the growing demand for a V-8 under a car’s hood, even though such a move may have placed Packard on a higher road for the future in its anniversary celebration.

Packard’s straight-eights were fabulous performers overall, acceptably economical and practically ironclad, plus trouble-free with substantially less moving parts as a V-8. As for pep, the Packard eights were no slouches with manual transmissions. Packard’s own Ultramatic was very good and competed well against Hydra-Matics. But regardless, the handwriting was on the wall. “Old-school” thinking ignored the major shift to V-8 motoring that Cadillac and Oldsmobile innovated with their lightweight, economical and powerful overhead-valve V-8s starting in 1949.

As time ebbed, Packard stuck to its old guns under the hood, but introduced crisp and modern styling lines for 1951 through 1954. That last year saw the final bow of the magnificent inline powerplant, as the sales force weakened in large cities and small towns. Cries arose for a V-8! Loudest among those voices was that of the new corporate president, James J. Nance, a great success at Hotpoint who was offered the head spot at Packard.

He introduced his new “Packard Plan” in Packard News’ “1952 Special Announcement” issue. Readers were convinced of a sales chasm. “The buying public over forty years of age remembers Packard as the only prestige product in the automotive market prior to 1935. People under forty have heard of Packard’s former prestige but never knew a time when it existed.” Nance wanted to split the lines into high-priced Packards and medium-priced Packard Clipper ranges. Fortune magazine characterized Packard’s movement under the title of “Packard’s Road Back.” It was a bold initiative that soon had a V-8 in its future. Large banners sported: “Now…look to PACKARD for a Great New Era!” and “A Great New Car with Grand Old Name!”

Had circumstances and finances allowed, Packard would have launched a car with a V-8 nestled under-hood during its last major Detroit styling. But the idea was held back for a rafter of reasons. When the heavily facelifted 1955 range debuted, it carried the V-8 with some unfortunate teething problems.

In its news release for Jan. 5, 1955, Packard’s News Bureau announced initial plans for its V-8 went back to 1946, and that, more recently “under sanction of the AAA contest Board, a Packard … with a pre-production V-8 traveled 25,000 miles in a total elapsed time of 238 hours, 41 minutes, 44.3 seconds, for an average of 104.737mph.” Horsepower ranged from 225 to 260 with a compression ratio of 8.5-to-1 and torque rated at 355 lb.-ft.

Still, it was not enough to stem the tide. 

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As with all other U.S. vehicle manufacturers, Packard automobile production for the 1942 model year was curtailed due to the war effort. Before all production ceased following the United States’ entry into World War II in December 1941, Packard managed to produce just 19,199 Eight models in six body styles: a business coupe, club sedan and touring sedan in the Special Eight series; a club sedan and touring sedan in the Custom Eight series; and a convertible coupe in the simply named Eight series. By Feb. 11, 1942, all automobile production took a back seat to war production as Packard and all other American automobile manufacturers joined the war effort by offering their knowledge, resources and industrialized mass production techniques to producing military vehicles and armaments. Twentieth Series Packard production—which were the company’s 1942 models—began in August 1941, and by the time the last Twentieth Series Packard rolled off the line in February, some 11,325 Packard Six models, 19,199 Packard Eight models, 2,580 Super Eight One-Sixty and just 672 Super Eight One-Eighty models had been built for a total of 33,776 Twentieth Series Packards.

The last 1942 Packard to roll off the line was a Junior model completed on Feb. 10, 1942. Written on a sign propped against the car’s windshield was “Here’s the last Packard ’til we win the war—It’s “all out” on engines to even the score!” On the day the last prewar Packard automobile rolled off the line, Packard had already produced 55,000 combat engines for the war effort.

The featured 1942 Packard Eight convertible coupe (Series 2021, Model 1599) is well-equipped with turn signals, automatic courtesy lights, electric clock and automatic cigarette lighter, all of which were standard for the model. It was sold new in Detroit and later uncovered in a residential garage in 1969 where it had been stowed since 1954. It spent the next 15 years stowed away elsewhere in the Motor City.

With just 21 similar cars known to exist, this Packard Eight convertible coupe is extremely rare today. According to Packard Automobile Co. records, 960 were produced during the 1942 model year.

The 1942 Packard Eight convertible coupe was the only car in the 1942 “Junior” lines (Packard Six and Packard Eight) to use the 127-inch wheelbase, which was otherwise reserved for the Super Eight One-Sixty and Super Eight One-Eighty “Senior” lines. It’s further unusual because Packard well-equipped this Eight model with Senior One-Sixty bumpers, grille guards, door handles and disk wheel covers. It’s further equipped with factory-installed directional turn signals and rocker splash panels instead of running boards. With automobile production going on hiatus during the war, parts inventory was dwindling and new parts were not being produced, so Packard probably built the last of the prewar models with what parts it had a surplus of as the company probably wanted to use up the parts it had in stock. That might explain why this 1942 Packard Eight was equipped with some components from a Senior line. Additionally, the car is fitted with optional sidemounts, a deluxe steering wheel and the rare radio antenna hood ornament.

The 1942 Packard Eight Series 2021, Model 1599 convertible coupe is also an unusual car in and of itself. In 1941, Packard debuted sleek, new styling on its all-new Clipper model. Clippers dropped the suitcase-style fenders generally found on cars of this era (including other Packards) with a more integrated fender design that flowed into the front doors. The new Clipper styling also visually and physically widened the bodies of Packards. Offered in 1941 as only a sedan priced at $1,420, the Clipper’s price point put it between the Junior One-Ten and One-Twenty models, and the Senior One-Sixty and One-Eighty models. Despite being priced higher than the Junior models, and having been introduced in April 1941—very late in the 1941 model year—an astounding 16,600 Clippers were sold. That figure compared favorably to the total number of lesser-priced One-Twenty models of all body types built (17,100 cars) and One-Ten models of all body types built (34,700 cars) for the full selling season.

For 1942, Packard employed the successful Clipper styling on most of its body types and across all lines. Exceptions that carried over the traditional 1941 body styling include the base-level taxi model in the Six series and many sedans in the upper-end Senior One-Sixty and One-Eighty lines, plus commercial Packards. In fact, all Packard convertibles retained the 1941 styling elements rather than the new Clipper design. As a result, this 1942 Packard Eight convertible doesn’t share body panels with the Clipper-styled Special and Custom models also in the Eight series.

Although styling was mixed with old and new elements in the 1942 Packard Eight series, all were produced with Packard’s 282-cid L-head straight-eight engine with an oil filter, a selective synchro-meshed three-speed on the column with overdrive and a 4.36 rear axle. The engine was rated at 125 hp, and crankcase capacity 5-1/2 quarts.

This car’s original color is Packard Ivory contrasted by a red leather interior and a black convertible top. It sold new for $1,531 before options.

When Dr. Charles Colombo was young, his father bought a 1940 Packard coupe. Over the years, the youngster grew fond of the family Packard and vowed to follow in his father’s footsteps and buy a Packard of his own one day. In 1986, his dream finally became a reality when he added this ’42 Packard Eight convertible to his automobile collection. He purchased it from a private seller in Rochester, Mich. The car was in rough condition after years of use as a daily driver, then more time in long-term storage. Soon after taking ownership of the neglected Packard, Dr. Colombo reached out to Henry Seitz, a respected automobile restorer in the Detroit area, to have the automobile added to Seitz’s restoration schedule. The restoration process began in 1990 and was completed in time for the ’42 Packard convertible to debut at the 1994 Meadow Brook Concours d’ Elegance. After its debut, the car returned to Complete Restorations, a shop in St. Clair, Mich., where Seitz fine-tuned the ’42 Packard convertible in preparation for subsequent appearances at other highly regarded automobile events.

Since its restoration, the ’42 Packard convertible has appeared at additional prestigious events in the Detroit area, including the Eyes on Design event. Dr. Colombo is especially proud of the Best in Class award his ’42 Packard convertible coupe received at the Packard Automobile Club (PAC) car show event in 2013.

Held each year at the historical Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site in Shelby Township, Mich., the popular Cars ‘R’ Stars Car Show at the proving grounds hosts all makes, models and model years of collector and special-interest cars and also includes a swap meet. Packard vehicles, including many owned by Motor City Packards members, are well-represented.

The annual Cars ‘R’ Stars Car Show allows participants and showgoers the unique opportunity of exploring the Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site and witness the extraordinary progress that has been made to the restoration and upkeep of this historic property. The proving grounds features buildings designed by noted industrial architect Albert Kahn, and in addition to its importance to Packard history, the facility was also used by Chrysler Corp. to test tanks during World War II. Earning a Best in Class at the event is a great honor for a Packard owner since judging is conducted by PAC members who are experts in Packard automobiles and how they were originally built.

Dr. Columbo plans to attend the 2024 Cars ‘R’ Stars Car Show with his 1942 Packard once again in 2024. Nearly 30 years after its restoration, his 1942 Packard Eight convertible shows no signs of being restored nearly three decades ago. The paint remains flawless, panels are laser straight and the 282-cid straight-engine performs flawlessly. 

Love Packards? Here are a few more for your reading pleasure.

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This beautiful red Packard caught our eye at the 2023 Iola Car Show, and we had to find out more about it. 

Check it out below!

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In this “Tales From the Garage,” we stumble upon a “Sleeping Beauty” resting peacefully for 62 years and waiting for that automotive kiss to open her eyes.

Let’s turn back a few pages to the fall of 1940. Packard, having struggled through the Great Depression with weak luxury car sales, introduced a lower-priced model wearing the famous nameplate. The Model 110 was a less-opulent six-cylinder Packard for 1940 and 1941. That first year saw more than 62,000 new smiling Packard Model 110 owners driving out of the dealership.

This particular Packard caught the attention of a Los Angeles surgeon who had an eye for practicality and a desire for something more refined. The Model 110 was the perfect solution. Nothing fancy: no radio, just four doors and that fabulous wheel-holding goddess pointing the way at the end of a forever hood.

It was a daily driver for the good doctor from home to office to hospital and, given the time period, some long-forgotten house calls. From the day of purchase in 1940 until the year our doctor could not heal himself, the Packard saved others by transporting him on his weekly rounds.

Some time in 1961, the doctor pulled the Packard into his garage for the last time. Most likely, even he did not know it was for the last time. He turned off the ignition and closed the door. The car closed its eyes and fell fast asleep. For 62 years.

The doctor’s house and all of its contents sat vacant and undisturbed for many of these years, the car all but forgotten, tucked away in the last of three garage bays. Time marches on and suddenly the family realized it was time to actually deal with the house and the 90 years of accumulated history.

My phone occasionally rings with calls like this. Someone knows someone who knows someone who knows me. “He likes old cars, call him.” You do not have to ask twice. Within a few hours, I was standing in the garage, staring at Sleeping Beauty. The rarity of the story — one owner, secure dry storage — overshadowed the rather plain spec of the car itself. Complete and dry, nothing taken apart in failed attempted repairs. The trunk was not full of “parts.”

One owner, 63,000 miles and an uncreased owner’s manual sitting on the front seat, its story waiting to be told.

The family had no idea what to do and looked to me for guidance. I offered to take photos and spread the word to my community of car guys, knowing that “six degrees of separation” to find a “Packard Guy” could not be that difficult.

More than six decades is a long time to wait for the awakening kiss, but I feel certain that our beauty will wake up soon and “The Goddess of Speed” will fly down the road again and, who knows, perhaps she has more lives to save.

Want more “Garage Tales?” Rodney Kemerer’s new book “Tales From the Garage” is an illustrated collection of his best essays and will be available from Amazon Books. Learn more about the book at TalesFromtheGarage.com.

*Editor’s note: Rodney Kemerer’s “Tales From the Garage” column appeared for many years in Garage Style Magazine. This is his first column for Old Cars, and the staff is proud to welcome Rodney and his contributions.

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Packard brass tried a little bit of everything to save the tail spinning company back in the 1950s. New models, new names, a different marketing approach… the company even bought out Studebaker to try to turn things around.

Of course, in the end the fabled Packard marque joined a very long list of car makers on the orphan list. When you look at Packards from the era like Rich Janis’ wonderful 1954 Packard convertible, you wonder how things could have gone so wrong.

Janis is a resident of Stevens Point, Wis., and he’s well known in local car circles for the 1968 Land Rover that he’s had forever. A few years ago, Janis couldn’t pass up the chance to add another car to his garage. The Chariot Red Packard convertible tripped his trigger in a big way.

“My neighbor had a collection that they were going to sell,” says Janis. “At one time I think he had 52 cars! So I went and looked at the cars and saw this one. I always kind of wanted a Packard. He lived three doors down from me and I had actually driven this one and I really liked it. It had sat for almost 20 years, so I bought it and had it resurrected.”

The convertible had a few cosmetic issues and the engine didn’t run great, but overall it was in really nice shape and Janis figured it would be worth some time and effort to make it look new again. It had been partially restored once in the past, but needed some TLC after two lengthy slumbers.

“It had been restored by the original owner around 1995,” Janis noted. “So he had it a long time. Then a few years later he sold it to and couple in Massachusetts, and he was 96 years old at the time when he sold it. They had it for about 10 years and then he died and she sold it. I believe she was in her 80s. So that’s when my neighbor got it, and he had it sitting around for about 20 years.”

Dark days and desperate times

One of Packard President James Nance’s plans to help save the company was to launch a new separate line of lower-priced cars to go along with the long-running Senior series. That meant bringing back the Clipper name, which was given to the least expensive offerings. One step above the Clipper was 5431 line, which was referred to simply — and probably to the confusion of many — as the Packard line. This included the Pacific two-door hardtop, standard convertible (like Janis’), and the flashier Carribean Custom, which was given a styling makeover by the Mitchell-Bentley Corp.

The ”Packard Line” cars were provided with the nine main bearing straight eight engine this year. Nance felt that if all models had their own names they would not be forgotten or confused. The conventional convertible had the same type of side trim featured on the Cavalier, except that the Packard script was moved from the rear fenders to the deck lid. Standard equipment also included a pelican-style hood mascot and rear fender shields. The interior was trimmed in a combination of leather and leather-grained plastic. The Pacific looked much like the ragtop, except that the roof did not fold away. However, it did have rear fender script, as well as medallions near the base of the rear roof pillar.

Factory introduction of 1954 models was held Jan. 15, 1954. Model year sales were 30,965 cars; calendar year sales reached 27,593 cars, making Packard America’s 16th ranked maker again.

On June 22, 1954, after months of preliminary discussions, an agreement to merge Packard with Studebaker was signed by the presidents of the two companies. On Oct. 1, 1954, The Studebaker-Packard Corp. came into official existence, with its headquarters in Detroit.

The problem with the deal, at least for Packard, is that it grossly misjudged the profitability and financial health of Studebaker. Packard estimated that it would need to build around 120,000 Studebakers a year to break even. But outdated facilities and internal problems made Studebaker production inefficient and the figure turned out to be far greater than that. Packard wasn’t in great shape before the merger, and the ill-fated business deal just accelerated the company’s decline.

So too, did some other factors. Packard brass planned for a big splash in 1955, with a complete redesign and re-engineering of key models. The big move never really materialized, however, again due to shaky finances. Part of company’s financial woes came from the fact that it was too late to offer a competitive V-8. Cadillac, one of Packard’s biggest competitors, had rolled out a V-8 in 1949, and so did Oldsmobile.

In 1952, Briggs Body Co. was sold to Chrysler, which meant that Packard had to start building its own bodies in-house after 1954. Packard did a lightning-like conversion of its Conner Ave. plant in the fall of 1954. In just 62 days, this factory was turned into a modern body assembly facility, so that the company could build bodies for the first time in many years. It was another big financial burden the company couldn’t afford at the time.

Lastly, the company’s dealership network began falling apart when “The Big Three” auto makers started stealing dealer locations. Dealership owners figured going with Ford, Chrysler or GM was probably a safer and more profitable move as Packard’s financial woes mounted, and they were probably right.

CRUISING IN STYLE

Janis’ beautiful red convertible was one of only 863 such examples built for the 1954 model year. They carried a base price of $3,935, which was about $110 more than the Pacific hardtop.

Janis enlisted the help of two shops in his area when he decided to revive his ’54 droptop. There were a few bumps along the way, but the end result was spectacular.

“I had JR’Z Autobody [in Stevens Point] paint it. It didn’t need a total repaint, and I didn’t know if I could find anybody who could blend it and make it look good,” Janis said. “But he blended it and it’s just perfect! It really turned out great.”

“Pro Street Auto [in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.] took the engine out. He said I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is, it needed what is basically the fly wheel — they have another name for it — but they told me ‘You need a new one, and it’s up to you to find it.’ They took the engine out and it turned out the engine was fine. It just needed this flywheel. It sounded like a rod was making a racket on it, so I was ready to have it all rebuilt.”

While he had the chance, Janis replaced everything he could on the car’s original 359 power plant — fuel pump, water pump, transmission cooler, thermostat housing and voltage regulator. He also replaced all the hoses and had the radiator refurbished.

He also installed new window regulators, which was no small feat. “They are run by a pump that is powered by the starter motor and they use brake fluid. … When one of those window regulators goes out it drips and ruins the paint, so I replaced all of those, and that was an undertaking,” he noted.

As good as the car looks these days, Janis says it runs even better. Indeed, you have to stand close to the car and lean over the hood to even tell if its idling.

“It’s just great to drive. It weighs almost 5,000 lbs.! I love it,” he says. “

“It has the 359 in it with a four-barrel that is original to the car and the Ultramatic transmission, it’s got power brakes, power seat, power windows … It does not have power steering. But the radio and everything works on the car. You can’t even hear that motor. It’s nine main bearings and it’s balanced so well, you pull up to a corner and if you didn’t hear a little of the exhaust you’d think it quit!”

SHOW US YOUR WHEELS!

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It wasn’t the first car motto, but it certainly was among the most memorable: “Ask the Man Who Owns One” went beyond a seasonal sales campaign. It eased into slogan status, then became the absolute motto of the Packard Motor Car Co. Its longevity is still upheld by Packard collectors who proudly flash the “all Packard” phrase in signage and bounce it around in conversations with friend and visitor.

It took the status of motto due to the gruffness of Alexander Winton of Cleveland, a man known for his short Scottish fuse of impatience. Amid his pre-1900 experiments in making a reliable car bearing his name, he was bothered in his mechanical work one day as James Ward Packard drove his self-repaired Winton from Warren, Ohio, to explain his improvements on a car that proved cantankerous. Mr. Winton was interrupted and cast aside the news with disdain that the younger Ward should build his own car, if he knew so much.

Practically anyone today who is having work done on their vehicle (new or old) realizes it’s unwise to interrupt a mechanic mid-repair. So let’s chalk the Packard-Winton encounter to little more than bad timing and zealousness. But the results would resound thereafter.

At that early time, Mr. Winton had only two men who owned Winton cars within about a 50-mile distance from his shop. Several more of his cars had been sold, but were distanced farther. So the only two owners he could have more easily listened to were a man in Cleveland and Ward Packard in Warren. Sad to say, he failed to ASK the latter how the repair was made. In effect, he failed to ask the man who was an owner. Ward Packard took that nugget to heart.

Ownership of an automobile, especially in that bygone age, was a sign of success. Since there were practically no repair shops outside of tinkering by a blacksmith here and there, ownership also meant becoming familiar with the newfangled, self-propelled road vehicle — and engaging special “perfections” (today we would call those “repairs”) to get it going as was intended.

What resulted in 1900 was the mighty push by Ward Packard and brother William Doud Packard (as promoter and office coordinator) to launch the first year of production for Packard, late 1899 having been the introductory date foreshadowing that soon-to-come production. In those days, to make a dozen or more cars gained the brag that you were in full production. So it was with the Packard brand.

Priced slightly higher than the Winton, the Packard was not meant to be a car for the masses. Neither was it intended to break down as had the old Winton (a problem which its namesake corrected and then went on to enjoy success with a string of profitable production years into the mid 1920s). One thing Ward Packard had learned from the fabled encounter with Mr. Winton was the importance of listening to the owner of a car — and taking his words to heart.

So when a request came to the Packard front office for a catalog (and none were on hand at the time), Ward instructed his secretary to tell the person, “Ask the man who owns one.” Thus, a legend was born and a brand was graced with its driving force.

Indeed, that’s what it was. The Packard brand went higher and higher in levels of fame. It achieved high marks in performance competitions. It rose in status to become the first luxury car ever to achieve monumental production levels, and thus set a new standard for competitors. It became the brand which hopefuls watched in order to gain their portions in the luxury car market. There were other brands of honorable note that were in the category of greats. And most, if not all, kept close watch of Packard to learn. The “Ask the Man…” motto was at times applied to women, too, with the same meaning: let a pleased owner tell you the truth. Had Mr. Winton heeded Packard and done just that, history may have made a quite different turn.

By the way, the only other early Winton owner who lived near its inventor was George Weiss, who quickly became an ally of Winton. Evidence exists that his car also had its difficulties in operation. Yet, he gained the ear of Mr. Winton on making repairs and soon became one of his earliest promoters. It was Weiss who introduced each Packard brother to a ride in a Winton. And it was Weiss who very quickly learned of the genuineness of embodied goodness and reliability put into each early Packard. Having been eventually converted, Weiss later pledged his allegiance to Packard automobiles and was a pioneer influence in the brand’s early days — Mr. Winton be switched!

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What if there had never been a Packard Motor Car Co.?

Let’s say that, if Packard had never existed to innovate certain features and improvements in its new cars year after year for more than half a century, perhaps no other car company may have offered the same advancements. Granted, this is a real stretch, and, logically, most of the advancements pioneered by Packard were likely to have eventually been introduced by other car companies. But simply for the sake of fun on what might not have been, let’s take a jaunt through the list of Packard improvements for the industry.

No Packard? No steering wheel. The advancement was popularized and added to production Packards for 1901. Imagine if no other company had come up with the idea. What would have been the substitute? Levers? Individual hand grips? Imagine driving a car today using levers!

Automatic spark advance was another introduction. Today, with the rise of electric cars, and even in the steam-car era before World War II, spark advancement seemed beside the point, unless you had an internal combustion engine. No Packard, no spark advance? Perhaps.

Packard was a master builder of straight-eight motors and pioneered the first successful production Twelve. The year was 1915 for the latter. When that massive engine block bowed, it was a “zippity-doo-dah day” for the industry. In some respects, it marked the advent of a horsepower craze that continued to recent years. Imagine, no Packard, then perhaps no horsepower race as we knew it.

Air conditioning. Yes, another Packard first. The company was first to introduce air-conditioned comfort to production cars in 1940, and motoring has been a cooler experience since. The innovation caught on and by the end of the 1960s, half of all new automobiles sold were equipped with air conditioning.

The H-shift pattern was a choice Packard promoted. It took some time before it became widely used. A simple invention? Yes, but logical and handy, and it caught on.

Hydraulic shocks. Yes, if there was no Packard, who knows what cars would have used to cushion road shock.

Torsion-Level ride graced many fine Packards in 1955 and 1956. No one seems to have stepped forward to say Packard was not the perfecter and promoter, even though the idea arose from a Hudson man who offered the idea to that company before sliding it to Packard. Still, it was Packard and select Clipper models that “wowed” the public with the slick-ride principles of smoothness. Chrysler went with partial torsion bars, General Motors liked its air suspension motif. But it remained to be realized if any other car company in the New World ever greased the track with this Torsion-Level invention.

Firsts are not readily proven, and some are substantiated over time. Someone may have invented a feature or technical advantage, but kept back from realizing it in production. So Packard’s firsts can be seen in this light. In simple words, the Torsion-Level invention existed some years prior to Packard’s redesign and application, but the fact of the matter is that Packard was the first domestic car maker to make it happen in production.

This leads to more inventiveness, such as the revisions to Rolls-Royce motors for military use, thus avoiding slowdowns in hand-finishing parts and assembly. Tens of thousands of those power plants were mass produced, thanks to Packard advances. Imagine being in the South Pacific or the European Theater of War in the early 1940s and one of those necessary motors conked out. Who could fix it beyond a handful of artisans and master technicians in England? No time to fly them overseas just to fix one unit. Multiply that notion time and again, and the necessity for mass production and exchange of parts for speedy repair and you get the point.

Also, Packard’s involvement in marine motor production scooted numerous Patrol-Torpedo (PT) boats around coastal waters as the Axis Powers were on the defensive. So, was World War II won thanks to Packard? Not totally, but Packard did provide a crucial element toward victory. Think of the lives that were likely spared as a result!

Beyond firsts, Packard made its mark on society. Significant numbers of specialty cars were offered in conjunction with the Henney company of northern Illinois. Generally, Packard produced the majority of parts, and Henney completed lucrative numbers of funeral cars and ambulances. More than 1,900 were made in the late 1940s, which was a truly high mark. Rushing people for medical attention and honoring the dearly departed were services provided by Packard vehicles. Even presidents and other heads of state liked the Packard brand in open and limousine forms. Imagine if these aspects had not been available. For a good number of car hobbyists, watching historical news clips or old movies and seeing a Packard seems to make the whole story seem special and more enjoyable.

Packard also brought a feeling of good self-worth to its employees. Some plant employees felt they had made it to the top of their mechanical or assembly-line jobs by being hired by Packard. The same for designers and technicians. A high number stayed many years with Packard. Much more can be said of the sales force across the land. Selling other good brands of cars was proud work, but selling Packards was a step even higher, according to what dozens of workers told this writer.

Ultimately, Packard more than pulled its weight in the business. And even as some of its firsts were launched, there were feelings that those advancements were steps on the path toward greater success for the entire industry.

Packard played its part well.

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