The Packard Motor Car Company - Part 3
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Through out the nineteen twenties and thirties Packard became the undisputable leader of the luxury automobile market in America, outselling Cadillac 3 to 1 in 1928. During this period there were many beautiful, outstanding vehicles built. Vehicles such as the 1924 Packard Touring car, 1928 Convertible sedans and the 1929 Speedster 626 runabout, as well as those bodies made by such master builders as Dietrich, LeBaron and Murphy just to name a few
The Depression of the 1930’s hit automobile companies hard, and Packard was no exception, the company was loosing sales and in 1934 Packard vehicle production had dropped well below 7000 vehicles, compared to 50,000 sold in 1928. Even with the depression it can be debated that during this period not only Packard but other great automobile companies were producing some of the greatest cars ever.
The following year, 1935, Packard built a low priced automobile known as the 120 series, based on the horsepower produced. This vehicle was the savior of the Packard Automobile Company. In later years the horse power was incresed to 160 and 180 horse power. Packard tried introducing a lower priced automobile in 1932 known as the light 8, though this cost the company too much to make and was removed from production.
The Packard 120 sales records saved Packard with 10 000 orders before the model hit the sales room floors. The Price of the 120’s ranged from $980 - $1095. A total of 109,518 low priced automobiles were build and sold in the first year of production. Models such as the 120's became known as the "junior" models.
The Packard Motor Car company liked the sales of the junior Packard's and was gradually trying to phrase out the senior models and in 1939 Packard saw the last Packard V-12 produced.
By the end of World War II, Packard was in excellent financial condition thanks to the work that had done for the government during the war. Roll's Royce had employed Packard to build a number of its Roll's Royce Merlin II engines. After the war, Packard, just like other automotive companies suffered from a shortage of raw materials needed to manufacture automobiles. On October 19th 1946 Packard produced its first post war production vehicle which was the Packard Clipper, this was an eight cylinder Packard. It is said that these vehicles were warmed over 1942 models, even so, they were a 'new' car and the public wanted anything new.
Eventually in 1949 Packard introduced their true first post war designed vehicle. The design chosen was nicknamed the "bathtub" or the "Pregnant Elephant" by the media, even the amount of badmouthing publicity Packard had over the ‘bathtub’ model the Packard company sold in total of 116,955 vehicles.
By 1952 Packard was in trouble and Mr James Joy Nance was hired from Hotpoints electronics due to his success in turning around companies was elected Packard president and general manager of Packard. Whilst President of Packard, Mr Nance made allot of changes that tried to regain Packard in prestige name. Unfortunately in time bad decisions and bad management played a vital part in the decline of the Packard Motor Car Company and in 1956 the two independent companies Packard and Studebaker merged to form the Studebaker-Packard Motor Company. At the time Packard didn't know of the financial trouble which Studebaker were facing, if they had the merger may not have happened and things may have been different.
The Packard script was displayed for the last time on a new vehicle in 1959 when Studebaker decided to drop the Packard name. The Company which had once stood for quality and luxury had vanished…