I love this channel, but Jay never fails to make me chuckle with the line: “here is the back door, it’s a lot like the front door but it’s in the back”. Keep it up, don’t change a thing!
Having owned 2 Packards, and looking for my 3rd, I believe the 1946-1947 Packard Custom Super Clipper with the 9-main bearing Str8 8 was the pinnacle of Packard.
Omg … that paint is next level saw one of these locally in bad shape , was curious what a pristine one looked like ..now I know .. a work of art ..👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾❤️❤️❤️🐐🐐
The Clipper body stile was introduced in 1941 and ran until 1947. The Clipper name was not used again until 1953 and remained until 1956. Many blame James Nance for Packard's demise. He discontinued all the senior cars and based Packard's future entirely on the Clipper size body car's. He was also one of the people who authored the ill fated merger with Studebaker that led to the demise of Packard. The 1956 was the last true Packard as the Packard plant was closed and production was moved to the Studebaker plant in South Bend. The last Packard's were rebadged Studebakers or as some call them "Pachardbakers"!
Nances' previous experience at National Cash Register (NCS), GM, and Zenith Radio Corporation failed to adequately prepare him for any type of leadership role at Packard. The failure of Packard to perform its due diligence regarding Studebaker's finances, Packard's failure to fully develop a V8 engine until well after competitors had theirs, and his lack of planning for a contigence in the wake George Mason's death for any subsequent merger of the rest of the independent auto makers, demonstrate a profound lack of knowledge, foresight, and sophistication regarding the automotive industry.
Also the ill fated move of trying to put assembly operations at the leased Briggs plant instead of updating the main Packard plant or even doing more at the new engine plant depending on having access to the Briggs plant was a mistake but might have been carried from before the time that Nance became "President" of Packard @@ROXSTARCorvette4371
RUclips is an on going forever thing glad you dig this car remembering back is one of the most spacious limos in comparison to the Pierce arrow there’s way more space in the back of this car
Jay, you must be a genius, finding these exotic vehicles. Earlier this month that beautiful Willys, International Pickup, the Packard Executive and now this. Toward the end of The Godfather, Michael Corleone was using a Henney-bodied Packard limo, just a few years newer than this and it hadn't been very easy for the producer to find. Those cormorant hood ornaments are very impressive!
I make a point to look for the cars that never got reviewed.. because I figure I can’t be the only one that likes these cars =) there is so much more to the car hobby besides Ford mustang Chevy Camaros and Corvettes
@@Jack_Russell_Brown Thanks! Yes the 1948 Patton Packard was shown dropping him off at his London residence in approximately 1943. Pure magic on the Army's part that they could get a '48 model about 4 years before it was built. 😁 Forgot all about those ZILs and ZISs from former Soviet Union!
@@What.its.like. That's true, rare models are lots more fun than all the standard stuff you see at weekend hobbyist shows. Many of us enjoy seeing a Jaguar Mark II, Avanti, MG Midget or International Scout now and then, so new episodes on your channel are something people look forward to.
There is a guy in Rockford Illinois who has a Packard Henney funeral coach that was used by a now defunct funeral home that is a registered vehicle for whenever a movie company needs a vehicle of that year and type.
The bulge at the bottom of the doors was their to conceal the "running boards". The door threshold is quite wide as a result. These cars had a roof mounted radio aeriel that was ingenious. The aerial could be rotated right or left to park it on the windshield and if you pushed in from the inside of the car you could actually extend the aerial. This mechanism is so complex that I don't know of anyone today that can actually repair it. So I'm very, very judicious with mine. That beautiful Hood ornament was not an option on the standard packard. I guess Henny being a body maker could actually put it on the custom cars they built. All the wood looking metal was simulated wood grain on metal. An interesting feature on the Custom Super Clipper was chrome window frames on the inside of the windshield. Very rare for most manufacturers as this was quite an expensive detail to put on the car. Interestingly Packard, in their manual, specify that the ammeter was not an ammeter. It was a charge/discharge meter. This car also has the optional fuel filter and oil filter. Very surprising that these were not standard in their day. This car has a manual transmission probably with overdrive. Packard did not have an automatic until the early 50s. That's very sad because they easily could have licensed the general motors Hydramatic like other manufacturers. A real joy in these cars is when you go underneath and look at the chassis. When one does this you get the impression this is actually a truck chassis with a beautiful body attached to it!.
BTW Justin, I just learned yesterday that there is a Packard Museum in Dayton OH, apparently housed in an original Packard dealership! If you go, be sure to check out the National Air Force Museum there too!
It's a cool museum, been there. Very old timey in its way - lots of oil and gas greet you at the door, but the cars run. It's a living museum not static. Dedication of the people there (and the fact I felt they could use some support) equalled a deluxe t-shirt I really didn't need. There's another in Warren, but haven't been there.
Thank you! I was aware of the National Air Force Museum but not of the Packard. I live in Pa so I am close by. I love Packards and would enjoy seeing the real thing not just pictures.
The front compartment is black leather/vinyl because it was to be chauffeur driven. The back is for the wealthy owners who aren't sitting on anything but the best.
Yes things were always a bit stoical for the chauffeurs even in the most luxurious limos. Note the black rubber floor mat & the lack of an AM radio. At least he had a roof over head unlike on some of the dual cowl limos of the 20's. I'm surprised that he had a clock though, but I guess that was to keep him punctual.
Regarding head room. This was back when both men and women wore hats. Just check out any period movie from the 1940s. Nobody dressed the way we do. Men wore suits and ladies wore dresses with white gloves and hats. The chauffer would have worn a uniform cap. And the gentlemen in the back would have worn some kind of snappy hat like a fedora or a more formal homburg. The ladies in those days also wore fancy hats. Most cars were designed with a lot more headroom than what we are used to.
What a fantastic treat . Designers & engineer’s sure did their job back then ! Unreal ! Yes , today’s cars are safer , better on fuel , ect … however , colours, chrome , style and much more from a long time ago his hard to beat . I don’t think any cars in near future will ever be like old one’s , not in my life time anyway . Well done Jay ! Well done ! How the f--k did you find this one ? Wow , you maid the rest of my 2022 year on this one ! Again Jay , WELL DONE !!! Happy new year to you and family . Thank’s man
I have this exact car. My Grandfather bought it brand new. It has 20k original miles. All original except hood, and sides repainted. Original interior and paint on roof. I don’t have the patrician, but I have the jump seats, all tan cloth interior, and a radio in the back.
@@What.its.like. I haven’t driven it since my Son’s wedding 12 years ago. I have to prep it again, but she ran smooth always. My Dad drove it home from the Packard showroom on Carnegie Av. the day my Grandfather bought it. He was 22 years old then. The car sat from 1961 till 1994 when my Dad got her running again. I have to get it rollin again
Hello Jay, while this Packard is indeed impressive, (gotta love that hood ornament) I have to agree that the Post War Packards lost a little bit of there elegance!! This car is stunning, especially in the back seat. If someone was to reupholster the front seat, this car will be perfect!!! Thanks for sharing this exciting video!!! 👍👍🙂
I forgot to mention that if you wanted to take the hood off you could by pushing both releases and moving the safety’s it would be a two maybe three person job that hood is heavy
Jay your kids would have a ball in the back seat and your tall son could stretch out completely. That car was all about the rich and ultra luxury for that era. I am surprised there is neither a radio or a built-in bar for cocktails on the way to the theater. Chauffeur required of course. 👍🏼 Another great presentation. btw Bakelite is a highly desirable collectible in jewelry from the time so I just know you will want me to share with you the correct pronunciation - 😅 Bake-uh-lite‼️👏 Thanks, Jay😊
Such a beautiful relic from the past! Superb paint job. The engine bay was capital! The only thing that left me a bit puzzled was that the front seat upholstery had excessive wear. The rest of the car is just immaculate in every way, with the exception of the front seat upholstery. I love those old strait eights. The old Packard brand= top quality! That is the kind of car you could see old Clark Gable driving around in Hollywood! Great presentation Jay!
I thought the same thing too in the front seat material didn’t feel high quality not the type of quality that you generally get when you get into a Packard of the statue.. but that was the only negative about this car everything else was great =) It’s also a huge in both length width and height
@@What.its.like. I agree with you Jay. Its obvious the car has been well preserved, but if I was its owner, I would be a bit hesitant to take it to a car show until the correct upholstery was installed, but what a masterpiece of engineering. The car just exudes luxury at its finest!
The car, as featured, was the limousine model, which had the division window and a black leather front seat and trim for the chauffeur. The seven passenger sedan was identical, except it was meant to be owner driven, hence the division window was eliminated and the front seat and trim was the same as in the rear compartment.
I know but I always wondered why they didn’t extend the contract I’m sure Rolls-Royce just like all of the other companies were itching for more money they could’ve worked a deal.. i’ve read Packard made the superior engine anyway
The Packard-built 'Merlin' engine was a Packard engine, as were the V-12s used in PT Boats and tanks. Cadillac also built engines for tanks and Chrysler built the whole tank.
I don't think that the Packard V-12 engines that were used in the PT boats were of the same design as the Packard-Merlin engines manufactured for aircraft use.
After WWII, the Big Three carmakers (GM, Ford, Chrysler) had such huge economies of scale that the independent carmakers simply didn't have the capital to compete.
I believe Pontiac was prevented or forbidden from selling its V8 design in its cars to the public for a couple years by GM top management-trying to protect Buick/Oldsmobile from having to compete against V8 Pontiacs. @@What.its.like.
I did find your look of that Packard convertible in the beginning the video, but this '47 model is super elegant and gorgeous!!🤩 I'm sure it's amazing to be driving it, but sitting in the backseat with the jump seats folded in and all that room and comfort, is is where I would want to be I think! Another great one! 👍
The space in the rear seat was massive, I have a friend who has a 56 de Soto and that almost has the same space in the back packard has way more head room..
The Packard Hearses were rather stunning design; I recall some funeral homes using up into the mid fifties; Buick used to also have some of their vehicles that were converted to hearses and ambulances; I don’t recall who built them on the Buick platform; at that point Packard seemed to have more status than Cadillac and the Buick was considered equal to Caddy for hearses; later Buicks did not enjoy as much status; I’ve even seen Chevy hearses, but they were used mostly for picking up deceased; some funeral homes I worked with had a chevy for that purpose: some even convertible to ambulance: and even some Cadillac hearses did double duty. Most funeral homes used vehicles that could serve both purposes: we had red lights, etc. that could be attached on top. A few more prominent funeral homes had separate ambulances not used as hearse and were painted as ambulance and had emergency lights built in. That was for larger funeral homes with sufficient staff. It was only later that most ambulances operated outside funeral homes; though many big cities had separate ambulance services. The shift to van like ambulances came later. Pontiac served as a basis for many early ambulances prior to the shift to the larger units used today. I remember driving an old 50s Cadillac which had straight shift of course; had to worry about parking brake holding on inclines, as the engines often were difficult to restart if they heated up; we never dared shut engine off on emergency calls as might take a while to restart and we couldn’t afford to wait. Lots of tales to tell about hearses. I drove some of the Cadillac versions, and later drove one of the van type ambulances after they were introduced. This was before EMS and we did our training with doctors in hospital setting, but no certification was necessary. In funeral homes the regular staff handled calls and training was minimal. Be interesting to do a history of the transition from mainly funeral home ambulance service to the more advanced ambulances today with highly trained EMS staff.
The Buick hearses and ambulances were built by the Flxible Company of Loudonville, Ohio. Through 1948 they had actually raised the entire hood, cowl and beltline to accommodate the extra height needed. From 1949, only the roof was raised.
"Walk Like A Man" - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, was the song. It was around 1962-63 ; when I was 11-12 yrs. old. As of Jan. 2023 ; he's still alive. 👍
A very impressive automobile. Big, intimidating, and projecting an "old money" aura. I can see this car on Wall Street or rolling up to a Hollywood premiere.
I see a red and white Cutlass Supreme back there. i think my grandfather had a 1947 Packard and years later after he passed away, my uncle took it apart piece by piece and threw it out in the garbage. My uncle owned an Austin Healy and wanted to put it in the garage, so the Packard had to go. Strange that he didn't try to sell it. I don't know the full story though. Somewhere in my collection, I have the speedometer from this car.
Leno has several early Packards from the late teens, early twenties and used to brag about their quality. Then an old timer visited him and said the really early cars were built much better. Couple of years later Jay bought a very early car...the old fellow was correct!
I remember that story he had an older guy on the Tonight Show that was into early Packard and he said that he would buy a Packard passed the year I’m not entirely sure what year it was but it was outside the brass era he wouldn’t buy a newer Packard than the brass era.. thank you so much for sharing that story.. that’s a bucket list thing to one day meet leno =)
Great video of a truly great automobile. The 356 9 main bearing engine was for the time both the largest and most powerful engine made in America and would remain so till 1950 its final year. The build quality was much better than the big 3 as well.
If I ever come across a time machine first stop mid 30s packard dealerships as well as all the others.. I honestly don’t know what era I like more 30s fenders or 50s fins?
The Merlin may have been too hot for automotive use. However, the Meteor variant certainly could've been used in automobiles. In my mind I see an ad campaign that says. "The new Packard. Now powered by the engine that helped win the war. Now it helps you win on the highway."
The Merlin was too large for automotive use and would have been to expensive to produce even if it would fit. It was1,649 cu in displacement and weighed 1,640 lb . and cost $ 2410.80 to produce in 1940.
5:30 the overdrive cars often used a shorter final drive ratio "lower rear end ratio" (higher numerical) so often gave better 0 - 60 results than the non overdrive cars I think this Packard would show its taillights to the '48 and '49 Chryslers.
Looked pretty good, I'll be back to visit and check what you have on sale (I'm looking for a convertible for myself, with a bit more performance. The wife is looking for something like a station wagon that she can take the young ones around in)
I honestly don’t work there they are just nice enough to let me feature their cars for reviews. I need to go to other Classic Car dealerships as well it’s just so much easier going to one location and doing 30 cars and having enough content for about a month.. lol Do you have a really nice Vista cruiser I am going to review the next time I go there if it’s still there I’m hoping to go in a couple weeks
@@What.its.like. LOL - I knew that, but you were talking about approaching the cars like you were selling them - So I told you about a couple kinds of cars that I would like to know more about but pitched in the terms of a possible customer. I could have responded totally blah and said I would like to see more about classic convertibles and station wagons, but what fun would that be?
Hahaha lol I feel you there is a 58 ranch wagon coming next week I try and do as many wagons as possible, because they are so cool but wagons are hard to come by. Maybe the ranch wagon will be Tuesdays episode =) super cool episode planned Monday
The money just wasn't there any more. Remember, the post war cars are evolutions of the junior line Packards, because there simply were no customers to their senior line. There was a whole another level of luxury above this featured car, and they had to scrap that with the beginning of the war.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Packard, IMHO, should not have built cars after WW2. Instead, it would have been wiser to do what Navistar did 40 years later after IHC self-destructed; build engines for other manufacturers. Packard's engineering and manufacturing excellence made it the builder of choice for Rolls Royce engines in WW2. They should have capitalized on that. Now, it's another shoulda, coulda, woulda.
A point about the transmission, there was no such thing as a 4 speed available at that time. A 4 speed option was offered in 31 8th series, and briefly in the 9th series into 32. It proved to be such an unpopular option that Packard offered a free service to any 4 speed Packards to be replaced with a 3 speed. The 3 speed with overdrive is exactly that, the same 3 speed transmission, but with an additional overdrive unit mounted between the transmission and rear end. I have a 31 7 passenger Formal Sedan on the 833 chassis, 134" wheelbase. At 6' tall, I can lounge on the back seat fully stretched out and not touch the back of the front seat. Obviously a different story when the jump seats are in place though, heh.
The 4 speed in the early 30's Packard looked like it came from a 2 ton truck. It would have been very sturdy but it had sliding gears rather than constant mesh so it would have been hard to shift. Picture driving a 1949 2 ton Ford with a 4 speed Warner. Chauffeurs would have been able to handle them though.
@@n.mcneil4066 Common misconception, but ultimately untrue. Despite the significant size and weight of any Packard compared to a more common vehicle, such as the Model A, driving them is quite easy, and not all that different from a modern car usually. Shifting the gears doesn't take great effort, even the one in my big and heavy sedan. The Packard transmission looks intimidating because it had to stand up to the power of their engines and move significantly heavier cars at double the speed of its more common contemporaries. For comparison, a Ford Model A sedan has a 40hp engine, and weighs roughly 2,300 lbs, capable of driving at 50mph, but ideally suited to cruising at 45mph. My Packard of the same year, with one of the more common sedan bodies, base engine, and midsized chassis, has a 100hp engine, weighs a hefty 5,500 lbs, and is capable of sustained cruising at 100mph with the "high speed" gearing. Roughly 2.5x the power and weight and twice the speed. This is why the Packard transmission had to be so robust. Add to that the extremely high quality and refinement of Packard engineering, and it resulted in a strong, but easy to manage transmission. Properly driven with the correct technique, it doesn't even clash or grind during any shift. Additionally, synchronized transmissions were already in use by 31 for Packard as well. Both synchro, and the traditional non synchro sliding gear was available in 4 speed. I haven't dug into mine to find out what particular one it has, but none of the 4 speed had a synchro 1st gear, and shifting it is easy and smooth. The misconception about practically all pre war era shifting comes from the need to rev match and double clutch, whereas a modern car one can just throw around without thought. Driving an old car is very much like driving a big rig, but only in a technical sense, not physical. These cars were considered the best on the planet, equal, if not superior to engineering, quality, and prestige of Rolls, Cadillac, Lincoln, and the rest. They were meant to be driven and enjoyed, and one can easily do so. Ad campaigns of the time even touted how easy it is for a woman to drive one, heh.
To my understanding, the Packard "Clipper" series replaced the "Junior" series which was Packard's entry level car. They had smaller engines and fewer accessories. This continued into the Studebaker-Packards and the Clipper line was the entry level. This is another reason that they started to import Mercedes, which held a mid price range position. Afterall, Packard was considered the U.S. equal to Rolls-Royce. Although still a couple of years off before Packard came out with it's "Ultra-Matic" transmission, like Lincoln, if the buyer didn't want to have to shift, a Packard buyer could order a GM Hydra-Matic. You could even get one in a Nash Ambassador. It is common for limousine and professional cars to be built on a lesser car line. These were usually built by coach-building firms which mainly built professional cars. In modern times, many limousines and other professional cars in Europe were built on the Mercedes 123 chassis(mid-size) rather than the Mercedes "S" class chassis such as the "600". Heck, Princess Diana didn't even have her fatal crash in a top line Mercedes, it was an S-280. Seldom did one ever see a hearse built on a Rolls-Royce chassis. In the U.S., Cadillac had an extended-wheelbase Fleetwood Commercial chassis, but it was seldom used to build a hearse, stretch limo or ambulance. Those were normally built from a standard 4-door Fleetwood sedan. The Fleetwood commercial chassis cost up to twice as much. They conversion companies could sell a stretched limo for less than a standard Fleetwood commercial chassis cost. On a side-note, looking at bumper cars, they always seemed to be styled in the current style of cars in their period. Do you remember seeing the bumper cars styled like this era of Packard?
Packard was financially solvent, or better off than some, when it decided to buy outright Studebaker which was financially strapped unknown to Packard. There was a grand plan to form several companies into one large company. Packard bought Studebaker and planned to then join up with Nash and Hudson which I believed was called American Motor Company (AMC). But infighting among the former heads of these companies ruined the deal. Had it worked AMC would have been gigantic. Studebaker/Packard struggled along until 1965 and AMC managed to stay in business till 1984 and some parts of AMC are still around. Packard should have left well enough alone for it might have made it on its own.
I was told packard owners didn’t care about fuel consumption I just add gas figures if your looking to buy these cars at least you know what to expect =)
Packard was a superior high quality automobile builder, even more so than Cadillac. Don't know if wartime mass manufacturing negatively affected Packard, but it seems that experience did.
I agree, with what Packard learned manufacturing all those Merlins, how could they not come out with a high-compression overhead valve engine until 1955? Cadillac introduced theirs in 1949! I've heard it was due to all resources were being funneled into the new automatic transmission. The obsolete engine and the DULLEST designs , even the Caribbean looks dowdy next to a postwar Caddy of the same year, or a freakin' Buick for that matter.
I like to Packard Caribbean though that was the best looking car they made since the war in my opinion.. I think the Packard Caribbean looks better than the Cadillac from the same year the Cadillac looks old by 1955
As lovely as that car is and I'm sure the manufacturing quality is superb it cannot compare to the pre-war which were owned by princes and and Kings all over the world. To me it was the American Rolls-Royce in the twenties and thirties.
It is walk like a man someone just beat you to it I forgot/could find the footage of me showing the cowl vent opener.. under the dash center was the ash tray I believe
@@What.its.like. I don't think it was an ashtray down that far by the floor. It was a fairly large light brown box like thing. You can see it when you open the passenger side front door.
Oh that was the heater it has 3 doors brown box I explained what it was in the shoebox Ford episode I should’ve explained what was in this episode as well
The American equivalent of the Rolls Royce Phantom. From almost the same period the Phantom IV was produced which King Charles III uses quite regularly. Can anyone imagine Joe Biden being chauffeured around in a Packard like this? Would actually be quite cool 😎
I think Packard symbolized depression era style and post war was a more consumer based economy. People wanted a reasonably priced car in high production. This car looks older than 1947. Packard was stodgy and I bet the people that bought Packard were over age 50.
It is probable that after the war Packard fell into the malaise that Chrysler and GM have experienced and are presently trying to recover from. (Looks like GM will recover. Chrysler under Fiat, who knows?) Packard probably had executive management that were completely detached from the deck plate engineers and dealerships and were unable to effectively adapt to the market. Toyota and Honda seems to be constantly listening to consumers and adapting to their desires with great parts quality control.
I totally agree I would love to do a Honda/Toyota comparison but totally abuse and see which one last longer I have a 2001 Honda Odyssey van that I’ve been experimenting on for the last year I did an episode that was very controversial. Where I explained At that point in time it’s only if it was only about six months without changing the oil it has gone a year and roughly a year and almost half with the same oil filter, I can’t 100% say that it’s the same oil because it burns oil there’s been times where I check the oil in there isn’t any oil on the dipstick. Hasn’t blown up yet it’s starting to file the coil packs though it develops a really bad mess whenever it’s cold outside but if it’s not cold outside it runs perfectly fine. The other thing I have to tell you is I put 35,000 miles in that stretch of time I don’t think any other vehicle definitely not a Mercedes Mercedes-Benz wouldn’t do that BMW wouldn’t do that any American made car won’t do that I don’t know if a Toyota would.. i’m going to do a comparison episode in a couple weeks I have another Honda Odyssey van I kind of sort of one of the snow I miss my opportunity last week to do this the 2001 has a bad wheel bearing I gotta get it fixed before I can drive it on the road again. It’s a work van my wife wants me to get rid of it so bad but I won’t she’s like just sell it for 500 bucks and I was like it means more to me than that and being at work then I don’t have to worry if I spill anything it’s a work van. Lol
Packard had a automatic transmission as well as all power options I’m pretty sure Packard had a four-speed synchromesh transmission before Cadillac did
I think Packard's license from Rolls-Royce to build the Merlin V-12 engine was likely for use in wartime aircraft only...probably Rolls didn't want Packard offering their V-12 after the war because Packard was real competition for quality & prestige and Rolls wanted to protect its competitive position in the market for the post-war period. We weren't THAT close an ally of Britain that her government would let us Yanks have unlimited access to that motor.
Very true but they could’ve made a few modifications to it and dumped it their own I mean other manufacturers have done for less and receive credit for everything cough cough (willys with the jeep)
why don't you review the 1968 chrysler newport that is next to this one which was a nice car. the chrysler came in 2 drop top models with many engine and transmission options.
I didn’t get a chance to I really wanted to do the Oldsmobile vista cruiser in the other building but I didn’t get a chance to do that on either.. i’ve been looking for an imperial to feature I haven’t featured in imperial yet =)
Yes... That driver's compartment was originally trimmed in genuine leather. For such a seemingly nice restoration, it's a shame that whoever did all that work didn't spring for the extra couple hundred dollars, and have that redone with real leather. That bicast leather, the JUNK that they used here, (get this - it's expensive... made with real leather backing, but coated with polyurethane on the facing... Pretty stoopud, huh?) looks great for about a year. Then it starts peeling like nobody's business, as you can see. Total waste of money for anyone who's doing an interior (pro tip there😉). Otherwise, that's a pretty nice old bus!
That’s so weird I always thought it was jive.. Thank you so much for the correction I’m from Western Pennsylvania and I’m finding out that it’s a thing here to do things wrong all the time like they just say it wrong so it gets embedded into the brain wrong.. thank you for the correction
Hindsight is always 20/20 , decisions that were made at the time seemed legitimate. Remember whoever made the decision to merge with Studebaker surely gave it considerable thought at the time it seemed like the right thing to do. Everything has an expiration date on it ,it was Packards time.
You've got to be kidding if you think ANYONE today is knowledgable about Packards. I am 78 and I was 3 in 1947 and have NO MEMORY of vehicles of that period, but they certainly were impressive compared with five years later when Packards were very different and not so classy.
I was born in 51 and I am quite familiar with Packards. I even remember them when they were new. Mr. Hatton, who owned Hatton Packard in Baton Rouge went to the same church as my family.
Surely you must know that the people who owned this car wouldn't be caught DEAD in the front seat. This car is exclusively made for a chauffeur and perhaps another servant. No one who owned this car would ever drive it. They would have their own personal vehicles. This was the car that took them into Manhattan to work at the stock exchange or to their top floor corner office. Children would rarely be allowed in it. The jump seats were made for secretaries and underlings, and rarely used because the cramped the owner. Your descriptions are pedestrian and 21st century middle class. This is an automobile for wealth beyond your wildest imagination - yet they paid 75 percent income tax and could still afford it.
Totally agree but a lot of these limos fir back then can be bought on the cheap.. and driven as family cars.. these episodes are like if you’d like to buy these cars now in 2023
Walk like a Man by The Four Seasons.
Congratulations you got it =)
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN ❣️🤭
I love this channel, but Jay never fails to make me chuckle with the line: “here is the back door, it’s a lot like the front door but it’s in the back”. Keep it up, don’t change a thing!
Haha yeah, glad you dig the channel
Beautiful long black limo by Henney-Packard. Thanks for showing us around, Jay.
Thank you for digging =)
Having owned 2 Packards, and looking for my 3rd, I believe the 1946-1947 Packard Custom Super Clipper with the 9-main bearing Str8 8 was the pinnacle of Packard.
=)
Omg … that paint is next level saw one of these locally in bad shape , was curious what a pristine one looked like ..now I know .. a work of art ..👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾❤️❤️❤️🐐🐐
Cormorant is the hood ornament. Beautiful Packard
The Clipper body stile was introduced in 1941 and ran until 1947. The Clipper name was not used again until 1953 and remained until 1956. Many blame James Nance for Packard's demise. He discontinued all the senior cars and based Packard's future entirely on the Clipper size body car's. He was also one of the people who authored the ill fated merger with Studebaker that led to the demise of Packard. The 1956 was the last true Packard as the Packard plant was closed and production was moved to the Studebaker plant in South Bend. The last Packard's were rebadged Studebakers or as some call them "Pachardbakers"!
Nances' previous experience at National Cash Register (NCS), GM, and Zenith Radio Corporation failed to adequately prepare him for any type of leadership role at Packard. The failure of Packard to perform its due diligence regarding Studebaker's finances, Packard's failure to fully develop a V8 engine until well after competitors had theirs, and his lack of planning for a contigence in the wake George Mason's death for any subsequent merger of the rest of the independent auto makers, demonstrate a profound lack of knowledge, foresight, and sophistication regarding the automotive industry.
@@ROXSTARCorvette4371 You are absolutely correct. It was a comedy of errors on all parts.
Also the ill fated move of trying to put assembly operations at the leased Briggs plant instead of updating the main Packard plant or even doing more at the new engine plant
depending on having access to the Briggs plant was a mistake but might have been carried from before the time that Nance became "President" of Packard @@ROXSTARCorvette4371
Watched this on 3/ 31. Don't know how I missed it.
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL car.
Amazing mpg out of this beast
RUclips is an on going forever thing glad you dig this car remembering back is one of the most spacious limos in comparison to the Pierce arrow there’s way more space in the back of this car
Never seen the clock come down with the glove box!
Outstanding car. Shame about the front upholstery tho
Jay, you must be a genius, finding these exotic vehicles. Earlier this month that beautiful Willys, International Pickup, the Packard Executive and now this. Toward the end of The Godfather, Michael Corleone was using a Henney-bodied Packard limo, just a few years newer than this and it hadn't been very easy for the producer to find. Those cormorant hood ornaments are very impressive!
I make a point to look for the cars that never got reviewed.. because I figure I can’t be the only one that likes these cars =) there is so much more to the car hobby besides Ford mustang Chevy Camaros and Corvettes
@@Jack_Russell_Brown Thanks! Yes the 1948 Patton Packard was shown dropping him off at his London residence in approximately 1943. Pure magic on the Army's part that they could get a '48 model about 4 years before it was built. 😁 Forgot all about those ZILs and ZISs from former Soviet Union!
@@What.its.like. That's true, rare models are lots more fun than all the standard stuff you see at weekend hobbyist shows. Many of us enjoy seeing a Jaguar Mark II, Avanti, MG Midget or International Scout now and then, so new episodes on your channel are something people look forward to.
There is a guy in Rockford Illinois who has a Packard Henney funeral coach that was used by a now defunct funeral home that is a registered vehicle for whenever a movie company needs a vehicle of that year and type.
@@glennso47 I hear that funeral home went out of business because their slogan was "We're The Last People To Let You Down"
These cars are iconic. Thanks. Aussie Bob 😊
Glad you dig =)
Beautiful car, especially that hood ornament. I'd just need a Miss Daisy to drive around in it.
That ride would be amazing.. Second to none in terms of comfortably plus it’s a 8 seater
The bulge at the bottom of the doors was their to conceal the "running boards". The door threshold is quite wide as a result.
These cars had a roof mounted radio aeriel that was ingenious. The aerial could be rotated right or left to park it on the windshield and if you pushed in from the inside of the car you could actually extend the aerial. This mechanism is so complex that I don't know of anyone today that can actually repair it. So I'm very, very judicious with mine. That beautiful Hood ornament was not an option on the standard packard. I guess Henny being a body maker could actually put it on the custom cars they built. All the wood looking metal was simulated wood grain on metal. An interesting feature on the Custom Super Clipper was chrome window frames on the inside of the windshield. Very rare for most manufacturers as this was quite an expensive detail to put on the car. Interestingly Packard, in their manual, specify that the ammeter was not an ammeter. It was a charge/discharge meter. This car also has the optional fuel filter and oil filter. Very surprising that these were not standard in their day. This car has a manual transmission probably with overdrive. Packard did not have an automatic until the early 50s. That's very sad because they easily could have licensed the general motors Hydramatic like other manufacturers. A real joy in these cars is when you go underneath and look at the chassis. When one does this you get the impression this is actually a truck chassis with a beautiful body attached to it!.
Thank you so much for sharing all of the insight and information and taking the time to do so I greatly appreciate it !! =)
Beautiful Packard! Ha to your comment about your use of the partition window! Frankie Valli and the Four Sasons, Walk Like a Man!
Yeah glad you dig this episode you got the song and band someone beat you to it
@@What.its.like. Ha! Story of my life!
So Cool seeing a Young Guy so into Car History!
We got to get more young people into this hobby
I think the Henney limousine company was headquartered in Freeport Illinois. They also custom made funeral coaches if I’m not mistaken.
=)
@@What.its.like. it was in business from 1927 to 1954 so I was able to find from google.
It was in the video
@@What.its.like. Yes, I heard it from your video but I also saw it on Wikipedia.
I think so since they said it like 3 x’s 🤣🤣🤣🤣 flower cars, limo’s, and ambulances’s, were Henney’s thing.🤣🤣🤣🤣👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
BTW Justin, I just learned yesterday that there is a Packard Museum in Dayton OH, apparently housed in an original Packard dealership! If you go, be sure to check out the National Air Force Museum there too!
It's a cool museum, been there. Very old timey in its way - lots of oil and gas greet you at the door, but the cars run. It's a living museum not static. Dedication of the people there (and the fact I felt they could use some support) equalled a deluxe t-shirt I really didn't need. There's another in Warren, but haven't been there.
I gotta go there and check it out =)
Thank you! I was aware of the National Air Force Museum but not of the Packard. I live in Pa so I am close by. I love Packards and would enjoy seeing the real thing not just pictures.
The front compartment is black leather/vinyl because it was to be chauffeur driven. The back is for the wealthy owners who aren't sitting on anything but the best.
The front seat didn’t feel quality though like it almost felt like Naugahyde or a cheap lesser material
Yes things were always a bit stoical for the chauffeurs even in the most luxurious limos. Note the black rubber floor mat & the lack of an AM radio. At least he had a roof over head unlike on some of the dual cowl limos of the 20's. I'm surprised that he had a clock though, but I guess that was to keep him punctual.
Regarding head room. This was back when both men and women wore hats. Just check out any period movie from the 1940s. Nobody dressed the way we do. Men wore suits and ladies wore dresses with white gloves and hats. The chauffer would have worn a uniform cap. And the gentlemen in the back would have worn some kind of snappy hat like a fedora or a more formal homburg. The ladies in those days also wore fancy hats. Most cars were designed with a lot more headroom than what we are used to.
Thank you so much for sharing that information as well as insight =)
The 1946-1947 Packard Custom Super Clipper's were THE pinnacle of American luxury.
The overdrive was available in 2nd and 3rd, in essence a 5-speed.
A much nicer looking car than its 1948-50 replacement, often referred to as the "pregnant elephant."
Agreed... if I make it this life 34 aero sports coupe is what I want or a Darrin his packard designs where absolutely gorgeous
What a fantastic treat . Designers & engineer’s sure did their job back then ! Unreal ! Yes , today’s cars are safer , better on fuel , ect … however , colours, chrome , style and much more from a long time ago his hard to beat . I don’t think any cars in near future will ever be like old one’s , not in my life time anyway . Well done Jay ! Well done ! How the f--k did you find this one ? Wow , you maid the rest of my 2022 year on this one ! Again Jay , WELL DONE !!! Happy new year to you and family . Thank’s man
I make a point to look for the cars that never got reviewed
I'm so glad you featured this rare car, Jay. It's unlikely most of us will ever see one in person!
I’m going after the cars that never got the attention they deserved
There's a limo at the Packard museum in Dayton, Ohio.
I have one.
I have this exact car. My Grandfather bought it brand new. It has 20k original miles. All original except hood, and sides repainted. Original interior and paint on roof. I don’t have the patrician, but I have the jump seats, all tan cloth interior, and a radio in the back.
Awesome how do you like yours
@@What.its.like. I haven’t driven it since my Son’s wedding 12 years ago. I have to prep it again, but she ran smooth always. My Dad drove it home from the Packard showroom on Carnegie Av. the day my Grandfather bought it. He was 22 years old then. The car sat from 1961 till 1994 when my Dad got her running again. I have to get it rollin again
Hello Jay, while this Packard is indeed impressive, (gotta love that hood ornament) I have to agree that the Post War Packards lost a little bit of there elegance!!
This car is stunning, especially in the back seat. If someone was to reupholster the front seat, this car will be perfect!!! Thanks for sharing this exciting video!!! 👍👍🙂
I forgot to mention that if you wanted to take the hood off you could by pushing both releases and moving the safety’s it would be a two maybe three person job that hood is heavy
@@What.its.like. thanks, I was wondering about that, & I figured that the hood was very heavy!!
Jay your kids would have a ball in the back seat and your tall son could stretch out completely. That car was all about the rich and ultra luxury for that era. I am surprised there is neither a radio or a built-in bar for cocktails on the way to the theater. Chauffeur required of course. 👍🏼 Another great presentation. btw Bakelite is a highly desirable collectible in jewelry from the time so I just know you will want me to share with you the correct pronunciation - 😅 Bake-uh-lite‼️👏 Thanks, Jay😊
=)
Wow ! Back in the Future movie , the Doc has a nice ragtop !
Doc browns Packard is the next body style after this
The designs back then were practically sculptures! The detail is amazing......... a true work of art!😉
Yes they were
Such a beautiful relic from the past! Superb paint job. The engine bay was capital! The only thing that left me a bit puzzled was that the front seat upholstery had excessive wear. The rest of the car is just immaculate in every way, with the exception of the front seat upholstery. I love those old strait eights. The old Packard brand= top quality! That is the kind of car you could see old Clark Gable driving around in Hollywood! Great presentation Jay!
I thought the same thing too in the front seat material didn’t feel high quality not the type of quality that you generally get when you get into a Packard of the statue.. but that was the only negative about this car everything else was great =) It’s also a huge in both length width and height
@@What.its.like. you obviously did not drive yourself…. Some of those limos from the 20-30s didn’t even have a roof over the chauffeur!
@@What.its.like. I agree with you Jay. Its obvious the car has been well preserved, but if I was its owner, I would be a bit hesitant to take it to a car show until the correct upholstery was installed, but what a masterpiece of engineering. The car just exudes luxury at its finest!
@@flashesofblack4128 So much more class than the modern Mercedes / Maybach / Rolls-Royce etc.
@flashesofblack4128 I believe some car shows have entries for unrestored, but preserved, vehicles.
The car, as featured, was the limousine model, which had the division window and a black leather front seat and trim for the chauffeur. The seven
passenger sedan was identical, except it was meant to be owner driven, hence the division window was eliminated and the front seat and trim was
the same as in the rear compartment.
The merlin engine was property of Rolls Royce. Packard built it under license during the war.
I know but I always wondered why they didn’t extend the contract I’m sure Rolls-Royce just like all of the other companies were itching for more money they could’ve worked a deal.. i’ve read Packard made the superior engine anyway
The Packard-built 'Merlin' engine was a Packard engine, as were the V-12s used in PT Boats and tanks.
Cadillac also built engines for tanks and Chrysler built the whole tank.
I don't think that the Packard V-12 engines that were used in the PT boats were of the same design as the Packard-Merlin engines manufactured for aircraft use.
Would’ve been interesting if we’d gotten even a licensed version of the engine in some models.
Would’ve been interesting if we’d gotten even a licensed version of the engine in some models.
After WWII, the Big Three carmakers (GM, Ford, Chrysler) had such huge economies of scale that the independent carmakers simply didn't have the capital to compete.
The curves prove it was designed and built from the ground up as a limousine; no "stretch" garbage like today!
They cheap out take the easy way out on everything now a days
Packard was late in developing a high compression V8 along with a automatic transmission. Squandered all the money it made during WW2.
But to be fair Pontiac also was another company that held on to the straight eight as well, of course they were protected by GM
I believe Pontiac was prevented or forbidden from selling its V8 design in its cars to the public for a couple years by GM top management-trying to protect Buick/Oldsmobile from having to compete against V8 Pontiacs. @@What.its.like.
Packard also wasted a ton of cash developing their 48 model. They would have done well doing facelifts on their 47 model another few years.
I did find your look of that Packard convertible in the beginning the video, but this '47 model is super elegant and gorgeous!!🤩 I'm sure it's amazing to be driving it, but sitting in the backseat with the jump seats folded in and all that room and comfort, is is where I would want to be I think! Another great one! 👍
The space in the rear seat was massive, I have a friend who has a 56 de Soto and that almost has the same space in the back packard has way more head room..
The Packard Hearses were rather stunning design; I recall some funeral homes using up into the mid fifties; Buick used to also have some of their vehicles that were converted to hearses and ambulances; I don’t recall who built them on the Buick platform; at that point Packard seemed to have more status than Cadillac and the Buick was considered equal to Caddy for hearses; later Buicks did not enjoy as much status; I’ve even seen Chevy hearses, but they were used mostly for picking up deceased; some funeral homes I worked with had a chevy for that purpose: some even convertible to ambulance: and even some Cadillac hearses did double duty. Most funeral homes used vehicles that could serve both purposes: we had red lights, etc. that could be attached on top. A few more prominent funeral homes had separate ambulances not used as hearse and were painted as ambulance and had emergency lights built in. That was for larger funeral homes with sufficient staff. It was only later that most ambulances operated outside funeral homes; though many big cities had separate ambulance services. The shift to van like ambulances came later. Pontiac served as a basis for many early ambulances prior to the shift to the larger units used today. I remember driving an old 50s Cadillac which had straight shift of course; had to worry about parking brake holding on inclines, as the engines often were difficult to restart if they heated up; we never dared shut engine off on emergency calls as might take a while to restart and we couldn’t afford to wait. Lots of tales to tell about hearses. I drove some of the Cadillac versions, and later drove one of the van type ambulances after they were introduced. This was before EMS and we did our training with doctors in hospital setting, but no certification was necessary. In funeral homes the regular staff handled calls and training was minimal. Be interesting to do a history of the transition from mainly funeral home ambulance service to the more advanced ambulances today with highly trained EMS staff.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share all of that insight =)
The Buick hearses and ambulances were built by the Flxible Company of Loudonville, Ohio. Through 1948 they had actually raised the entire hood, cowl and beltline to accommodate the extra height needed. From 1949, only the roof was raised.
"Walk Like A Man" - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, was the song. It was around 1962-63 ; when I was 11-12 yrs. old. As of Jan. 2023 ; he's still alive. 👍
Frankie valli is a national treasure =)
Great job. Henney was in fact a coach builder. Like Dietrich, or any of the pro car builders like Superior or Hess & Eisenhardt.
=)
A very impressive automobile. Big, intimidating, and projecting an "old money" aura. I can see this car on Wall Street or rolling up to a Hollywood premiere.
Yeah for sure I could definitely see that too
I honestly Love this car.
Me too I love the fact that it’s a Packard Packard made some really cool cars especially in the 30s..
@@What.its.like. Yes they did. I have always Loved Packards.
I see a red and white Cutlass Supreme back there.
i think my grandfather had a 1947 Packard and years later after he passed away, my uncle took it apart piece by piece and threw it out in the garbage.
My uncle owned an Austin Healy and wanted to put it in the garage, so the Packard had to go. Strange that he didn't try to sell it. I don't know the full story though.
Somewhere in my collection, I have the speedometer from this car.
Big, heavy and a bit menacing. Would love to drive it around a wide and spacious block. 😅
It was like sitting on your living room loveseat in the back there’s enough space back there to put a fireplace where the partition is.. =)
WOW! My 32 option(pretty much fully loaded) '69 GTO was only $4100.
This was expensive but worth the expense it was opulent =)
What a gorgeous car!
Mornin' Jaye..
The Packard 3-speed with overdrive was, for all intents, a 5-speed,
as overdrive was available in 2nd as well as 3rd.
Awesome information thank you so much for that =)
Leno has several early Packards from the late teens, early twenties and used to brag about their quality. Then an old timer visited him and said the really early cars were built much better. Couple of years later Jay bought a very early car...the old fellow was correct!
I remember that story he had an older guy on the Tonight Show that was into early Packard and he said that he would buy a Packard passed the year I’m not entirely sure what year it was but it was outside the brass era he wouldn’t buy a newer Packard than the brass era.. thank you so much for sharing that story.. that’s a bucket list thing to one day meet leno =)
My grand uncle worked for Packard before the war.
Sweet =)
Great video of a truly great automobile. The 356 9 main bearing engine was for the time both the largest and most powerful engine made in America and would remain so till 1950 its final year. The build quality was much better than the big 3 as well.
If I ever come across a time machine first stop mid 30s packard dealerships as well as all the others.. I honestly don’t know what era I like more 30s fenders or 50s fins?
The Merlin may have been too hot for automotive use. However, the Meteor variant certainly could've been used in automobiles.
In my mind I see an ad campaign that says. "The new Packard. Now powered by the engine that helped win the war. Now it helps you win on the highway."
The Merlin was too large for automotive use and would have been to expensive to produce even if it would fit. It was1,649 cu in displacement and weighed 1,640 lb . and cost $ 2410.80 to produce in 1940.
It could’ve been a Power plant for someone looking for something different..
It's time for some new front seats.
5:30 the overdrive cars often used a shorter final drive ratio "lower rear end ratio" (higher numerical) so often gave better 0 - 60 results than the non overdrive cars
I think this Packard would show its taillights to the '48 and '49 Chryslers.
The back seat is large enough to house a small family.
Totally =)
Not mentioned here, I expect there is a under seat heater to provide warmth to the rear passengers.
I wasn’t 100% sure of packard did that at this point in time
Looked pretty good, I'll be back to visit and check what you have on sale (I'm looking for a convertible for myself, with a bit more performance. The wife is looking for something like a station wagon that she can take the young ones around in)
I honestly don’t work there they are just nice enough to let me feature their cars for reviews. I need to go to other Classic Car dealerships as well it’s just so much easier going to one location and doing 30 cars and having enough content for about a month.. lol
Do you have a really nice Vista cruiser I am going to review the next time I go there if it’s still there I’m hoping to go in a couple weeks
@@What.its.like. LOL - I knew that, but you were talking about approaching the cars like you were selling them - So I told you about a couple kinds of cars that I would like to know more about but pitched in the terms of a possible customer. I could have responded totally blah and said I would like to see more about classic convertibles and station wagons, but what fun would that be?
Hahaha lol I feel you there is a 58 ranch wagon coming next week I try and do as many wagons as possible, because they are so cool but wagons are hard to come by. Maybe the ranch wagon will be Tuesdays episode =) super cool episode planned Monday
Beautiful limo
Cool car😊
The money just wasn't there any more. Remember, the post war cars are evolutions of the junior line Packards, because there simply were no customers to their senior line. There was a whole another level of luxury above this featured car, and they had to scrap that with the beginning of the war.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Packard, IMHO, should not have built cars after WW2. Instead, it would have been wiser to do what Navistar did 40 years later after IHC self-destructed; build engines for other manufacturers. Packard's engineering and manufacturing excellence made it the builder of choice for Rolls Royce engines in WW2. They should have capitalized on that. Now, it's another shoulda, coulda, woulda.
Just imagine if they did that would’ve been epic =)
7:56 I wonder how many people broke those off by tugging on them instead of turning them.
A point about the transmission, there was no such thing as a 4 speed available at that time. A 4 speed option was offered in 31 8th series, and briefly in the 9th series into 32. It proved to be such an unpopular option that Packard offered a free service to any 4 speed Packards to be replaced with a 3 speed.
The 3 speed with overdrive is exactly that, the same 3 speed transmission, but with an additional overdrive unit mounted between the transmission and rear end.
I have a 31 7 passenger Formal Sedan on the 833 chassis, 134" wheelbase. At 6' tall, I can lounge on the back seat fully stretched out and not touch the back of the front seat. Obviously a different story when the jump seats are in place though, heh.
Th am you so much for that insight and Information =)
The 4 speed in the early 30's Packard looked like it came from a 2 ton truck. It would have been very sturdy but it had sliding gears rather than constant mesh so it would have been hard to shift. Picture driving a 1949 2 ton Ford with a 4 speed Warner. Chauffeurs would have been able to handle them though.
@@n.mcneil4066 Common misconception, but ultimately untrue. Despite the significant size and weight of any Packard compared to a more common vehicle, such as the Model A, driving them is quite easy, and not all that different from a modern car usually.
Shifting the gears doesn't take great effort, even the one in my big and heavy sedan. The Packard transmission looks intimidating because it had to stand up to the power of their engines and move significantly heavier cars at double the speed of its more common contemporaries.
For comparison, a Ford Model A sedan has a 40hp engine, and weighs roughly 2,300 lbs, capable of driving at 50mph, but ideally suited to cruising at 45mph. My Packard of the same year, with one of the more common sedan bodies, base engine, and midsized chassis, has a 100hp engine, weighs a hefty 5,500 lbs, and is capable of sustained cruising at 100mph with the "high speed" gearing. Roughly 2.5x the power and weight and twice the speed.
This is why the Packard transmission had to be so robust. Add to that the extremely high quality and refinement of Packard engineering, and it resulted in a strong, but easy to manage transmission. Properly driven with the correct technique, it doesn't even clash or grind during any shift. Additionally, synchronized transmissions were already in use by 31 for Packard as well. Both synchro, and the traditional non synchro sliding gear was available in 4 speed. I haven't dug into mine to find out what particular one it has, but none of the 4 speed had a synchro 1st gear, and shifting it is easy and smooth.
The misconception about practically all pre war era shifting comes from the need to rev match and double clutch, whereas a modern car one can just throw around without thought. Driving an old car is very much like driving a big rig, but only in a technical sense, not physical.
These cars were considered the best on the planet, equal, if not superior to engineering, quality, and prestige of Rolls, Cadillac, Lincoln, and the rest. They were meant to be driven and enjoyed, and one can easily do so. Ad campaigns of the time even touted how easy it is for a woman to drive one, heh.
Just a note: "art moderne" is a French term and is pronounced, more or less, as "art mow-derne".
To my understanding, the Packard "Clipper" series replaced the "Junior" series which was Packard's entry level car. They had smaller engines and fewer accessories. This continued into the Studebaker-Packards and the Clipper line was the entry level. This is another reason that they started to import Mercedes, which held a mid price range position. Afterall, Packard was considered the U.S. equal to Rolls-Royce.
Although still a couple of years off before Packard came out with it's "Ultra-Matic" transmission, like Lincoln, if the buyer didn't want to have to shift, a Packard buyer could order a GM Hydra-Matic. You could even get one in a Nash Ambassador.
It is common for limousine and professional cars to be built on a lesser car line. These were usually built by coach-building firms which mainly built professional cars.
In modern times, many limousines and other professional cars in Europe were built on the Mercedes 123 chassis(mid-size) rather than the Mercedes "S" class chassis such as the "600". Heck, Princess Diana didn't even have her fatal crash in a top line Mercedes, it was an S-280. Seldom did one ever see a hearse built on a Rolls-Royce chassis.
In the U.S., Cadillac had an extended-wheelbase Fleetwood Commercial chassis, but it was seldom used to build a hearse, stretch limo or ambulance. Those were normally built from a standard 4-door Fleetwood sedan. The Fleetwood commercial chassis cost up to twice as much. They conversion companies could sell a stretched limo for less than a standard Fleetwood commercial chassis cost.
On a side-note, looking at bumper cars, they always seemed to be styled in the current style of cars in their period. Do you remember seeing the bumper cars styled like this era of Packard?
Packard NEVER offered the GM Hydramatic in any of their cars.
It’s a 3 speed manual with overdrive
Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing all of that useful information as well as insight =)
Packard was financially solvent, or better off than some, when it decided to buy outright Studebaker which was financially strapped unknown to Packard. There was a grand plan to form several companies into one large company. Packard bought Studebaker and planned to then join up with Nash and Hudson which I believed was called American Motor Company (AMC). But infighting among the former heads of these companies ruined the deal. Had it worked AMC would have been gigantic. Studebaker/Packard struggled along until 1965 and AMC managed to stay in business till 1984 and some parts of AMC are still around. Packard should have left well enough alone for it might have made it on its own.
The gas consumption on 8 cylinders was 11->12.9 mpg. I'm thinking that would answer your question "Why didn't they put a small Merlin in a car?"
I was told packard owners didn’t care about fuel consumption I just add gas figures if your looking to buy these cars at least you know what to expect =)
Great tour of the car but there's no full-body walkaround so I have no real idea what it looks like
Packard was a superior high quality automobile builder, even more so than Cadillac. Don't know if wartime mass manufacturing negatively affected Packard, but it seems that experience did.
The song was, “Walk Like a Man”.
Suggestion: Before you tour a car, find out if the interior is real or artificial wood & leather.
=)
Please research the Packard coat of arms. The hood ornament is actually a pelican.
_This looks like metal but it’s simulated wood._ Simulated by…metal? Just giving you a hard time. Another good video!
It’s all good they were really good at painting metal back then to resemble wood..
I agree, with what Packard learned manufacturing all those Merlins, how could they not come out with a high-compression overhead valve engine until 1955? Cadillac introduced theirs in 1949! I've heard it was due to all resources were being funneled into the new automatic transmission. The obsolete engine and the DULLEST designs , even the Caribbean looks dowdy next to a postwar Caddy of the same year, or a freakin' Buick for that matter.
I like to Packard Caribbean though that was the best looking car they made since the war in my opinion.. I think the Packard Caribbean looks better than the Cadillac from the same year the Cadillac looks old by 1955
As lovely as that car is and I'm sure the manufacturing quality is superb it cannot compare to the pre-war which were owned by princes and and Kings all over the world. To me it was the American Rolls-Royce in the twenties and thirties.
Totally agree my favorite era of packard is 1934-1942 they didn’t make a bad body design during that time
Is it Walk like a Man by The four Seasons?
Also.. what was that I spied underneath the dash right around where the transmission tunnel would be?
It is walk like a man someone just beat you to it I forgot/could find the footage of me showing the cowl vent opener.. under the dash center was the ash tray I believe
@@What.its.like. I don't think it was an ashtray down that far by the floor.
It was a fairly large light brown box like thing.
You can see it when you open the passenger side front door.
Oh that was the heater it has 3 doors brown box I explained what it was in the shoebox Ford episode I should’ve explained what was in this episode as well
@@What.its.like. Ok... Thanks so much!
I love your reviews on these cars.. ❤️
@@What.its.like. makes you wonder how warm it could have been all the way in the backseat with that partition window closed...🤔
Wish I’d though of getting an old Limo instead of a dadvan as a kid hauler. Thank goodness my kids and I aged out of them.
The American equivalent of the Rolls Royce Phantom. From almost the same period the Phantom IV was produced which King Charles III uses quite regularly. Can anyone imagine Joe Biden being chauffeured around in a Packard like this? Would actually be quite cool 😎
I think Packard symbolized depression era style and post war was a more consumer based economy. People wanted a reasonably priced car in high production. This car looks older than 1947. Packard was stodgy and I bet the people that bought Packard were over age 50.
It is probable that after the war Packard fell into the malaise that Chrysler and GM have experienced and are presently trying to recover from. (Looks like GM will recover. Chrysler under Fiat, who knows?) Packard probably had executive management that were completely detached from the deck plate engineers and dealerships and were unable to effectively adapt to the market. Toyota and Honda seems to be constantly listening to consumers and adapting to their desires with great parts quality control.
I totally agree I would love to do a Honda/Toyota comparison but totally abuse and see which one last longer
I have a 2001 Honda Odyssey van that I’ve been experimenting on for the last year I did an episode that was very controversial. Where I explained At that point in time it’s only if it was only about six months without changing the oil it has gone a year and roughly a year and almost half with the same oil filter, I can’t 100% say that it’s the same oil because it burns oil there’s been times where I check the oil in there isn’t any oil on the dipstick. Hasn’t blown up yet it’s starting to file the coil packs though it develops a really bad mess whenever it’s cold outside but if it’s not cold outside it runs perfectly fine. The other thing I have to tell you is I put 35,000 miles in that stretch of time I don’t think any other vehicle definitely not a Mercedes Mercedes-Benz wouldn’t do that BMW wouldn’t do that any American made car won’t do that I don’t know if a Toyota would..
i’m going to do a comparison episode in a couple weeks I have another Honda Odyssey van I kind of sort of one of the snow I miss my opportunity last week to do this the 2001 has a bad wheel bearing I gotta get it fixed before I can drive it on the road again. It’s a work van my wife wants me to get rid of it so bad but I won’t she’s like just sell it for 500 bucks and I was like it means more to me than that and being at work then I don’t have to worry if I spill anything it’s a work van. Lol
Did Packard have auto trans,power steering ,power brakes,and options like Cadillac ?
Packard had a automatic transmission as well as all power options
I’m pretty sure Packard had a four-speed synchromesh transmission before Cadillac did
The Four Seasons "Walk Like a Man"
Yeah that’s it someone got it before you though
JAY, I JUST GOT SO EXCITED I PEED IN MY PANTS ❣️
Hahaha hope all is well I love packards going to make it a point to cover more this year
I think Packard's license from Rolls-Royce to build the Merlin V-12 engine was likely for use in wartime aircraft only...probably Rolls didn't want Packard offering their V-12 after the war because Packard was real competition for quality & prestige and Rolls wanted to protect its competitive position in the market for the post-war period. We weren't THAT close an ally of Britain that her government would let us Yanks have unlimited access to that motor.
Very true but they could’ve made a few modifications to it and dumped it their own I mean other manufacturers have done for less and receive credit for everything cough cough (willys with the jeep)
That should have been the Addams Family car - not a 1938 Pontiac tour custom limousine.
Rolls Royce may have had a patent on the Merlin V-12
British made Merlin parts wouldn't interchange between engines. Packard fixed that
why don't you review the 1968 chrysler newport that is next to this one which was a nice car. the chrysler came in 2 drop top models with many engine and transmission options.
I didn’t get a chance to I really wanted to do the Oldsmobile vista cruiser in the other building but I didn’t get a chance to do that on either.. i’ve been looking for an imperial to feature I haven’t featured in imperial yet =)
Yes... That driver's compartment was originally trimmed in genuine leather.
For such a seemingly nice restoration, it's a shame that whoever did all that work didn't spring for the extra couple hundred dollars, and have that redone with real leather.
That bicast leather, the JUNK that they used here, (get this - it's expensive... made with real leather backing, but coated with polyurethane on the facing... Pretty stoopud, huh?) looks great for about a year.
Then it starts peeling like nobody's business, as you can see.
Total waste of money for anyone who's doing an interior (pro tip there😉).
Otherwise, that's a pretty nice old bus!
This was the first time I’ve been in a limo from this era, it was super duper cool =)
@@What.its.like. they are cool... Some of them are so big inside, you could camp in them!
There was enough space in this one day you could probably play a board game on the floor
The doors are tinny.
Pretty sure Henley was exclusive to Packard by the 1940s
I thought that too until I saw they did that Lincoln Cosmopolitan in the early 50s
"Walk like a Man" Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Yep I think for Packards I’m gonna try to find songs that revolve around mad because of the whole ask the man who ones one
Make a V12 affordable for the masses?
Ford sort of did.. Lincoln v12 wasn’t drastically expensive Lincoln zephyr V 12 was equivalent to $34,000
How about a 50 waist
Might be tight behind the wheel tons of space in the rear
Buy a magnet.
Will do =)
Same thing happened to Indian .
Actually, the word is jibe not jive. A common mistake..
That’s so weird I always thought it was jive.. Thank you so much for the correction I’m from Western Pennsylvania and I’m finding out that it’s a thing here to do things wrong all the time like they just say it wrong so it gets embedded into the brain wrong.. thank you for the correction
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Walk Like a Man !
Yep =)
Hindsight is always 20/20 , decisions that were made at the time seemed legitimate. Remember whoever made the decision to merge with Studebaker surely gave it considerable thought at the time it seemed like the right thing to do. Everything has an expiration date on it ,it was Packards time.
Agree =)
Walk Like a Man, The Four Seasons.
Yes somebody beat you to it
Packard did not own the design was a subcontractor
You've got to be kidding if you think ANYONE today is knowledgable about Packards. I am 78 and I was 3 in 1947 and have NO MEMORY of vehicles of that period, but they certainly were impressive compared with five years later when Packards were very different and not so classy.
I love packards I’d take any 1930s packard I’ve any luxury equivalent on offer today
I was born in 51 and I am quite familiar with Packards. I even remember them when they were new. Mr. Hatton, who owned Hatton Packard in Baton Rouge went to the same church as my family.
Surely you must know that the people who owned this car wouldn't be caught DEAD in the front seat. This car is exclusively made for a chauffeur and perhaps another servant. No one who owned this car would ever drive it. They would have their own personal vehicles. This was the car that took them into Manhattan to work at the stock exchange or to their top floor corner office. Children would rarely be allowed in it. The jump seats were made for secretaries and underlings, and rarely used because the cramped the owner. Your descriptions are pedestrian and 21st century middle class. This is an automobile for wealth beyond your wildest imagination - yet they paid 75 percent income tax and could still afford it.
Totally agree but a lot of these limos fir back then can be bought on the cheap.. and driven as family cars.. these episodes are like if you’d like to buy these cars now in 2023
Very, very expensive for 1947 and not a nice car at all.
It was expensive but it was also a limo
I'll bet every car in the building that has a clock don't work. Fix the clocks. 🕛🕐🕑🕒🕓🕔🕕