1958 Packard Series 58L

The 1958 catalog of Packards came with no model names. Each one was just a 'Packard.' And they were no longer built in Detroit. The end of Packard was in sight as Studebaker had taken over and many observers dubbed them 'Packardbakers.' Not that there was anything wrong with Studebaker, it's just that it wasn't Packard. Sadly, the 1958 models did not sell well.

The Packard Series 58L was introduced early in 1958. They were available as a sedan, Hardtop Coupe, Station wagon, and the Packard Hawk Hardtop Sport Coupe (Packard's own version of Studebaker's famed Hawk). The Hawk was introduced in 1956 and was immediately successful, combining high performance with comfortable seating for four adults. Stylist Duncan McRae gave the Hawk a distinctive fiberglass front end, a rear deck lid with a continental kit-inspired spare tire impression, and a leather interior with upholstery that rolled up over the doors. The full complement of instrumentation included a tachometer and boost and vacuum gauges, allowing careful monitoring of the 275 horsepower produced by the V8 engine and McCulloch centrifugal supercharger. With a top speed of 125 mph, the Hawk was the fastest Packard ever built.

The base engine was an overhead-valve V8 engine that displaced 289 cubic inches, an 8.3:1 compression ratio, solid valve lifters, a four-barrel Carter carburetor, five main bearings, and produced 225 horsepower at 4,500 PRM. An optional 7.0:1 cylinder heads were available on this engine. The Packard Hawk had a supercharged V8 that boosted power to 275 BHP. It had solid valve lifters, overhead valves, a cast iron block, 7.8:1 compression, five main bearings, a Stromberg two-barrel carburetor, and a McCulloch Model VS-57S supercharger that was designed to activate at 3,000 RPM. All engines came standard with a Borg-Warner Flight-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission, and although it was 'standard' equipment, it added $189 to the price. The overdrive option boosted the price by an additional $110. The suspension was independent at the front with unequal-length A-arms, coil springs and an anti-sway bar. At the back was a live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. Four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes provided the stopping power. The wheelbase measured 120.5 inches for all body styles except the hardtop and station wagon which measured 116.5 inches. The Hawk had a 205.1-inch length, the sedan measured 213.2 inches, the hardtop at 209.2 inches, and the station wagon at 206.2 inches.

All models, except the Hawk, had dual headlamps. The standard tires measured 8.00 x 14. In the back were tailfins, in keeping with the styles of the time.

Production was low, with 1200 Sedans, 675 Hardtop Coupes, and a mere 159 examples of the station wagon created. Five hundred eighty-eight buyers selected the one-year-only Hawk Hardtop Sport Coupe. Packard's advertising claimed that the Hawk was 'the most exclusive car in America.' Production of the Packard automobile, with the 1958 models introduced in January and marketed as a mid-year lineup change, ceased on July 13th, 1958.