1956 Packard Four-Hundred

In the early 1950s, Packard president James J. Nance and Nash-Kelvinator Corporation president George W. Mason devised a plan to combine the Studebaker and Packard marque, forming the Studebaker-Packard Company, that would join a combined Hudson Motor Car Company and Nash-Kelvinator Corporation in an all-new American Motors Corporation. Several complications led to the demise of this plan, including the sudden death of Mason in 1954 and disputes over parts-sharing arrangements between the companies. Studebaker had been less than forthcoming about its financial and sales records, and in 1954 it barely sold 82,000 cars - the break-even point was approximately 282,00 cars. Packard had hoped to benefit from Studebaker's larger dealer network, but by 1956, approximately 30 percent of that network had been lost.

The Studebaker-Packard company tried re-organizing the production line, with Studebaker focusing on the volume and commercial car and truck segment while Packard focused on the luxury market. A new make, the Clipper, was intended to fill the gap between these two market segments.

Sales in 1956 were disastrous, and after Nance resigned, the Studebaker-Packard Company entered a management agreement with the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. The remaining Studebaker-Packard defense contracts and plants where defense work transpired were now handled by Curtiss. Packard's Detroit production was halted and all remaining automotive concerns were now handled in South Bend.

The 1957 and 1958 Packard models were essential Studebaker Presidents with trim changes. The last Packard automobile to roll off the assembly line was in July of 1958.

The Packard Four Hundred was built during the 1955 and 1956 model years and thus, construction was handled by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana in Packard's Detroit facilities. Packard had used the '400' nomenclature in 1952, appearing on the top-of-the-line Patrician 400 Series. The following year, the '400' had been dropped but the Patrician name continued.

When the Four Hundred name returned to the Packard lineup in 1955, it was assigned to the company's senior model range two-door hardtop. For 1955, all Packard models received a redesigned grille, and wrap-around parking lamps were re-introduced but now had rounder rear edges. The front fenders were extended and the headlamp hoods were lowered slightly. The Packard 400 was available as a hardtop coupe with seating for six and pricing set at $4,190. In total, there were 3,224 vehicles sold, accounting for 31% of the company's sales. Power was from an overhead valve V8 engine that displaced 374 cubic inches. The words, 'The Four Hundred' was done in the gold anodized script and placed on the band between the front wheel well and door edge.

The entire senior Packard line received additional changes in 1956 to further distinguish it from the Clipper line, which was now its own marque in 1956. The Four Hundred and the new-for-1956 Caribbean hardtop shared the same body and chassis, with a wheelbase that measured 127 inches. The 374 cubic-inch V8 produced 290 horsepower at 4,600 RPM and had five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and a Rochester four-barrel carburetor. Power brakes were standard, and an electronically-controlled, push-button Ultramatic gear selection transmission was optional (standard on the Caribbean). A limited-slip differential was optional, and a Torsion-Level suspension became standard by the end of the year.

Distinguishable features found on the senior-level Packards included multi-tone paint schemes, a new grille texture, altered headlight housings, and a slightly longer hood that reached beyond the headlights. The Packard crest on all 1956 senior Packard was moved to the front of the hood, leaving the 'circle-V' emblem in the grille rather bare.

The 1956 Packard Four-Hundred was available as a two-door, six-passenger hardtop coupe with a base price of $4,190, about thirty dollars more expensive than the Patrician four-door sedan. Production of 1956 Four-Hundred was 3,224 units, compared to 3,775 of the Patrician and 539 of the Caribbean.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2010