old “high pockets” 1951 styling into something very much in step
with the times. Teague’s changes included a wraparound wind-
shield, hooded headlamps, and (on senior Packards) cathedral
taillamps. Creative use of decorative trim helped further differen-
tiate the individual models.
Our feature car is a Four Hundred, which comprised one of
three senior Packard models along with the Patrician four-door se-
dan and the Caribbean convertible. Four Hundred designated the
hardtop body style. All three bodies were trimmed similarly, with
the Patrician having a more conservative layout of trim than the
other two, and the Caribbean treated to a fl amboyant confi gura-
tion that included twin scoops on the hood. The more adventurous
could order their Patrician trimmed similarly to the Four Hundred.
Contemporary styling wasn’t the only thing the 1955 Packard
had going for it, either. The old fl athead straight-eight engine, a
mainstay since the 1920s (albeit one continually updated), was
gone. In its place was a new overhead-valve V-8. Clipper Deluxe
and Super models—along with some Nash and Hudson cars,
under a parts-swapping deal with American Motors—received a
320-cu.in. version.
The new engine was introduced by Packard with a recitation
driveReport
of the company’s strong heritage of engine production, including
the 1916 Twin Six, the Liberty aircraft engine of the First World
War, the World War II Rolls-Royce Merlin, Packard’s various ma-
rine engines, and even the J-47 turbojet engine as found in the
F-86 Sabrejet and the massive B-36 Pacemaker bomber.
Thanks to a larger bore, Clipper Customs and senior Pack-
ards received 352 cubic inches with up to 275 horsepower. The
latter fi gure was in part possible thanks to dual-quad carbure-
tion. A 275-hp, 352-cu.in. Packard V-8 would power the fi rst
Studebaker Golden Hawks in 1956 and the basic architecture is
said to have been designed with up to 500 cubic inches possible
for future, larger Packards. So good was the Packard V-8, legend
has it that General Motors considered purchasing the Packard
V-8 tooling as an alternative to enlarging the Chevrolet 348/409
W-engine beyond 427 cubic inches.
Regardless of what might have been, the 1955 Packard V-8
is a fi ne engine, as is the chassis below it. While the bodies may
have been heavily restyled holdovers, the underpinnings were
something new. Wheelbases remained the same, 122 inches for
Clippers and 127 inches for senior Packards, but gone were the
front coil springs and rear parallel leaves of 1954.