1954 Packard Patrician Series 5426 news, pictures, and information

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This Packard Patrician is one of only 40 known to exist in service. Of the 2,769 Patricians that Packard produced in 1954, the Packard registry records only 40.

The Patrician, as the senior Packard in the 1954 model year, is equipped with the finest nine main bearing, 359 cubic-inch straight-8 engine, producing 212 horsepower. This was the final year that Packard would use the straight-8 that was first introduced in 1924.

One other innovative feature of the Packard is the 'Ultramatic' transmission. The Ultramatic is the only automatic transmission ever produced and perfected by a major independent automobile manufacturer.

The Packard Patrician was produced from 1951 through 1954 and then jointly with Studebaker from 1955 through 1956. The first series was the Packard Patrician 400 produced from 1951 through 1952. The '400' was part of Packards numerical naming structure, with the '400' designating the highest trim level available on a Packard.

The Packard 400 had extensive use of chrome trim. In comparison to the other Packard models of this era, it featured four chrome ports, chrome and slightly revised grille, and chrome ports on its rear fenders. The body rested on a 127-inch wheelbase and was powered by Packard's inline eight-cylinder engine.

Production for 1951 and 1952 were low; in 1951 there were 9001 Packard 400 units produced and 3975 examples in the following year. The name '400' was dropped in 1953 and 1954. In the following years there were slight trim changes and improvements.

In 1955 there were 9127 examples of the Patrician produced. The only body style offered was a four-door sedan. Under the direction of Richard Teague, the Packard Patricians were given a modernized grille, rear tail light ensemble, exterior trim, and two- and three-tone paint colors. The windshields were wrap-around.

The following year the headlights were revised which had them extending further, outwards. The areas around the headlights were painted black to further the illusion that they were extruding outwards.

During 1956, a total of 3375 examples of the Patricians were produced. This would be the final year for the Packard/Studebaker Patrician.

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