1950 Packard Eight, Ask the man who owns one! 

THESE cars must have been AMAZING to go in to a Drive-In movie theater back in the day!!!

My great-uncle had a 1948 Packard Custom Eight 4-Door Sedan in Black with the folding jump seats, windshield visor and grey wool upholstery. He replaced that vehicle with a 1961 Chevrolet Impala 4-Door Sedan with the slab top and Powerglide automatic transmission. How I loved the Packard! At eight years of age, passing it along to me was not in the cards, and I have always missed it.

I like the larger Custom 8 better. Better appointments, longer wheelbase, more stately car. A not altogether successful continuation of the 41 Clipper design, but a big seller. I also personally like the fastback, but I like them all as I'm a tried and true Packard man. When the Packard President George Christopher wanted to put out a revised 51 model based on this design, the Packard Board revolted, and the all new 51's were the result. And, Christopher was retired, and given a copy of his "Pregnant Elephant". That said, Lincoln, Mercury, were similar. And especially the King of bloated roundness of them all Nash. the Packard grill is very similar to 42-48 Lincoln's. Don't forget that famous hood ornament, and most famous of all, that grill shape, on every Packard since 1904. Druthers: Packard in any form, or year

I'm one of the people that thinks Packard lost their way. Their pre-war cars were so beautiful! I never acquired the taste for these so I never paid much attention to them. But it was nice to see your review to understand what I've been ignoring. It looks like it was a comfortable car for the era. In the Would You Rather I would like the 1950 Cadillac and the 1950 Imperial.

Almost a twin of the Packard owned by an acquaintance of mine until late 2010s. Same colors inside & out, the only noticeable difference is that the one in this video has a manual transmission, and his was equipped with Ultramatic. Looked much better in real life and was a cool classic to drive, but too large for his liking. Wish I bought it when I had the chance !.. Some people tend to strongly dislike the "inverted bathtub" shape that was characteristic of many cars designed during or immediately after WW2, but I like them... well, most of them. The Lincoln is probably the most iconic one, though, and it also has unusual suicide doors in the rear. But that is a tough choice, indeed !.. Chrysler and the "bucktooth" Buick would be a close second.

That large round knob under the dash to the right of the steering column is for the overdrive. Pull out to disengage (only when stopped).

Those flathead straight eight engines were smooth runners. If tuned right, you can stand a nickel up edge wise on the head with the engine running and it wouldn't fall over!!

Naugahyde was invented in 1914(!), and first sold under the name "Naugahyde" in 1936. You're right; these late 40s through 50 Packards kinda grow on you. They're definitely an acquired taste. I liked them once I got used to them. I think the 51-56 Packards were quite nice, and would hold their own with any other car of the era as far as styling.

The most fascinating thing about Packard in its last years was the "Torsion Level" self-leveling, active-suspension system, which came out a few years after this car was sold. With all the trouble air-based self-leveling system have had, it's too bad no automakers have re-visited Packard's approach.

I have owned two Packards from the bathtub era, though both were the earlier 22nd series cars from 1948 to early 1949. The car which is the subject of this video is a 23rd Series introduced in May 1949. These Packards do have a lot to offer. If I were interested in buying one, I would look for Club Sedan(two door fastback)or one of the more expensive models like the top of the line Custom Eight. Check carefully for rust in the trunk and floor pans as these are problem areas with these cars.😊😊

Packard. A fine brand for the descerning buyer. Lovely motor cars.

My father had a '50. Drove it for 9 years.

The problem with Packard was that it's was saddled with a straight eight engine, not a V-8, like Cadillac, dumpy styling, and no cash.By the time they tried to turn things around, it was already too late for a recover of their former glory. The merger with Studebaker, made the situation even worse, because Studebaker made decisions that contrary to what was happening in the automotive world at the time, this also applies to Hudson. The reason why Nash survived, was because of George Mason running the company.

@4:17 - I discovered something interesting in an article about the 1948 Packards..... When designing up the 1948 Packard, Packard took a 1941-1947 full sized production car and stuck the red clay that they use for sculpting in the design studio onto the sides, top and rear of the car and then sculpted out the 1948-1950 design right on top of the 1941 car. - For the side profile @4:57 , Packard filled in the area from the top of the fenders where they begin to curve downward and extended the line straight back into the top of the rear fender. They then filled in the area under that line to make the door panels flush to the outer edges between the two fenders. If you notice the roof shape above the trim line where the bottom of the glass and side posts are, it's the same roof for both years of Packards. This also makes sense for the front view profile of the hood shape. 1941-1947 is taller and more slender while 1948-1950 is more rounded. This is the shape you would get if you piled clay along the hood sides and then scooped it out with a round tube or roll for a scooper. You can really see this from looking at your two pictures of the rear of both cars. The 1947 and 1950 practically have interchangeable trunk lids. You can see the shape of the rear fenders starting from the rear bumper on both cars come to the same curvature until they meet the door crease. From there, the 1947 rear fender line curves downward in a typical 1930's style, while the 1950 Packard rear fender seems to "Get Absorbed" into the body sculpting, much like it would if it was filled with clay at those points. If you look at the 1948 tail lights to the 1947, you will see that they are the same light in the same location. The 1950's tail lights are more of a "Stuck on" extension, but the 1948's are the same rectangle. - Also, you can see the same "horizontal line" along the door handles for both cars, but the 1947 vertical lines sink down into the car sides whereas the 1948 vertical lines curve outward to meet the filled in fender lines and then falls down flat to the car sides, as if this area was filled in and smoothed out. So once Packard had the new shape from 1947 to 1948, they transferred the "1947 car with clay on it" to full on sheet metal press molds to produce the 1948-1950 cars. - i found that interesting.

I've always been a huge Packard fan. They also refered to this era as the "bathtub" Packards. My personal favorites are the Club Sedans. (fastback coupe) Those straight 8s were a bit antiquated by the 1950s but I've been told that they were bulletproof in terms of reliability. In choosing, I'd pick the Packard both times with the Lincoln a close second. (similar styling and i dig the suicide doors) I'd like to find a reprint of that Packard model lineup someday. Thanks for another great video...👍🏁

Beautifully car jay in the wyr I’ll take the Lincoln and for the second choice it would be the Packard but hopefully it would be the custom eight with the 356 and longer wheel base, thanks for putting these videos together they are greatly appreciated

Cool car but surprised a Packard of this era would come without a radio.

Love that high hood way out front standing proud really classy.

The straight engines seem to have very good torque.

Gorgeous!Worth "28 grand" all day long!

I think is an interesting design and the interior looks amazing, i think I'd sway towards the Lincoln in the first scenario, even though I do like the Caddy also. I'd go with this in the second.😎

My uncle had this model (grey, as I recall). At the time, it was a nice design….conservative. The interior was much nicer than my dad’s Chevrolet! Rode smooth as silk. Very comfort interior. In 1955 he traded it in on a Cadillac, which was a real step up.

What a pretty example of a wonderful car! The maroon color really suits it. Thank you for featuring it, Jay. I'll take the Lincoln and the pass on the second choices.

I'm in the minority that likes the bathtub Packards. Like you said, there really aren't any ugly Packards, just some I like more than others. WYR: The first one is tough with the Caddy in the mix, but I'll go Packard (B.I.A.T.P.), the second is a little easier for me - and it's the Packard. Thank you as always - great work putting these together ~ Chuck

I prefer the '50's dash, the Cadillac, and the Imperial. That Ultramatic gave trouble--it was so troublesome, that the Packard club accepts replacement transmissions. Those "pregnant elephant" Packards looked better in the "flesh" than in photographs--their 3D shapes filled put their space impressively.

I would make the Packard my top pick from all cars shown, although I would place the Imperial as a close second. I also like the suicide doors on the Cosmopolitan as that sets it apart.

The Lincoln then Packard. Nice video.

When you open the rear door @15:34, you can see the shape of the 1941-1947 front portion of the rear fender and on the door, the big filler piece to cover it for the 1948-1950 body sides.

Straight 8's sounds so neat. Smooth ! They must be neat to drive ! Could you take us for a ride in one, one day ? Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿

I actually really like this era of Packard. Packard gave up some of their prestige to appeal to a larger consumer base (sort of like what mercedes did in the 2000's,) which was one of the reasons for the sort of loss in oppulance with these models, themselves looking more akin to the Ford and Hudson offerings of the time, very much embracing the pontoon almost cartoony cloud like appearance. Personally being a big fan of the 49-51 ford and hudsons I find the These packards very charming, very smooth and curvacious while not sacrficing too much chrome trim or being obnoxious to look at. I do think they could've been more generous with the grille like on the 47 but thats neither here nor there. I'm also a sucker for straight 8's so these being some of the last to be made puts them in a special spot for me. Great video man love to see it

I like the styling of these,The Fastback Real Nice

Dad had a 49 Packard - recall the radio antenna was a knob at the top middle of the windshield and rotated to raise the antenna or stow it at the breakpoint between the left and right portions of the windshield.

Congrats on your 400th episode....love you guys!!!

I like the cars from say, 1948 to 1952. Nash, Hudson, Packard. They're not Art Deco per say, and they don't have a lot of "gorp" (That's what my Dad used to say. He was a Ford man.) The chrome, especially. More chrome and more chrome...

I can't hardly believe a car that old is in complete condition.

The next Packard you need to do is a Series 22 Packard Custom Eight Victoria Convertible.

My brother has that same model car. Wish I had it. He never drives any of his classics anymore.

The Packard marketing team seemed really set on making "tramp down" be a thing.

50 Cadillac ❤❤ Buick is good But a 47 Packard 2 door 👍 all day long ❤️❤️❤️👏👏👏 Great Episode 😋 Happy Motoring ✌️🤠

Another gorgeous car, I'am really enjoying your videos. Cheers from Toronto.

I love the '47 model ... Its just so classy. These hippos are too large.

This is a three speed manual with overdrive. The knob on dash that was pulled out was the overdrive engagement control not the vent knob.

Very nice. Thank you.

WYR: Cadillac, Buick. A fastback would have made Packard my choice. Unfortunate that this car has so much orange peel in the paint, though for some reason just the front half of the car. I like the '47 better for all but the steering wheel.

Very good video Jay. Nice job. One “miss” you have: you omitted identifying the overdrive engage handle just to the right of the steering column. Very important.

Infamous "bathtub" Packards are an acquired taste. '47 styling wise may've been a postwar rehash as it looks similar to a '40-'41 model. I'd likely prefer an early '50s model, perhaps a Carribean convertible.

I never looked closely cat this vintage Packard. Pop rettyvcool car !

'Moon Dance', forgot the artists name. 😢 I like the bloated look with the fastback. Very 40's interior styling, to me. But likable.

First choice the 50 Cadillac, the second the 50 Packard, like the 40's style Clipper better in 2 door fastback. Dig this one, nice Packard, best of all it is still original, with its straight 8 and Ultramatic, no hideous wheels, LS engine or "i done it" steering column, or 4L60 automatic.

The song almost sounds like the honey drippers rockin at midnight

I Love you Jay dont be disappointed by my previous comment. You deserve big sponsorship Jay ! Please find someone who can get you paid well for these Awsome shows. We love them. A big sign fore and aft of these vids is ok . Just stay cool mate ! Lol Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿

I have always considered those post war Packard cars to be the one ugly dog in a great litter of new designs. They sold well at first when there was still a shortage of cars and for car makers it was a seller’s market. But by 1950 when supply had finally caught up with demand the situation rapidly changed, for as the dealers would then proclaim “ You couldn’t give them away!”. The most glaring problem, like the one featured today, was in its’ grille. The Custom however looked alright. I am sure that sales would have been much more brisk if all Packard cars that year had the same grille as seen on the more expensive Custom 8.

Had one back in the late 70's, still had the original spare a 16" B F Goodrich super balloon deluxe. smooth ride but don't expect to take more than one fast curve, your not going to finish the first one.

Hi Jay!: First thing I want to say is is really DON"T hate the design of these cars, but I think it was not an effective redesign. If the actual cars looked more like the pictures in the brochure, (Longer, Lower, Longer) it might have been better for Packard. The picture on the first WYR shows exactly what I mean. The Lincoln, sure it has kind of weird headlights but it is a more modern looking design than the Packard. The Caddy, while still reminiscent of their models of the last few years is still a better design than the Packard. Those Caddies were SO popular at the time they were out, that a number of folks got together with either neighbors or friends and all went together and bought one and they would share the car on alternate weeks, etc!! That's how popular the postwar Caddies were. They also had that fantastic for the time OHV V-8. The bathtub Packard's stodgy/frumpy design, and the lack of a modern OHV V-8 killed Packard in my opinion. By the time they had a really decent design and their V-8, it was just too late. All that being said. If they were making these cars as well as they did in the day, even with the funny design and the straight eight engine, I, among MANY others would be RUNNING down to the local Packard dealer to buy one for $28,000!! You can't even get crappy modern cars for that nowadays! I would really like to drive one of these bathtub Packards! I bet they ride and drive GREAT and SMOOTHLY! WYR#1 Going Lincoln here (I LIKE it's weird design!) #2 I wanted to pick the Packard SO BAD, then you put in the 1950 Buick!! AAAAAAHHHH! I guess I would really rather have a 1950 Buick!

I love that Packard but I'd choose the Lincoln first and my second choice would be the 50 Packard

Back in the day every town had a Ford or Chevy dealership. You might have to go to the city to find a Packard dealer.

Sounds like a Sinatra song! Yep, agree, postwar Packards have grown on me but I prefer the 47 (which I assume is a carryover from 42?) over the 50. WYR: 1. Lincoln 2. Packard. Congrats on 100 Jay!!

I would've imagine what Packard would've been like had Ford bought Packard and use it as a division to compete with Buick.

1950 Packard 🎉😊!

My uncle had a packard near that year looked the same.It was a standard trans. It is not the prettiest. I remember going on a trip with it. It seemed to drive very nice. It is a very nice comfortable ride one of the best I know of. The packard straight 8 is so smooth it is unreal. You missed the best part Jay. You should have taken out for long drive. If you could stay awake the seats are like you said.

Most of the cars of this era followed the pregnant whale styling cues. Some a bit more pronounced than others, It wasn't until around the '53 model year the cars became more slabsided. No blanket hanger! I'm surprised! Other than the ability to have a shorter snout, is there an advantage of the V8 over the Str8-8? Tuneups and basic maintenance is much easier on a str8-6 than a V6, and I would think the same would apply to an 8. Of course, I don't see where many Packard owners would be changing their plugs, points and oil... WYR: 1) Lincoln (I know... shocking, right?!?! lol) 2) Strangely, and I surprised myself, the Imperial... HAPPY 400th!

WYR I absolutely love this style of Caddy, so it gets my vote. Almost any other car instead and it would have been this lovely Packard fastback which is tops for the second choice. This Packard has great and well-balanced styling perfect for the period, and while it may look 'bloated' to some it carries the shape well; large-radius curves were the style of the time and those require space to execute. All these early 'automatic' transmissions were generally somewhat weak and inefficient, which is why most people opted for standard transmissions, not trusting these 'slush-boxes'. As an aside DeLorean got his first taste of mechanical designing with Packard's automatic transmission department, and he made note of their refusal to compromise on doing top-quality work. I like the dash of the 50 better than the 49. My favorite car of 1950 is the Ford, though this Packard is sweet too and I could be happy with it instead.

you identified an inside handle as a cowl vent control, but had already shown there was no cowl vent. I like the '50 Packard, but definitely prefer the Custom model. The Custom convertible is especially nice.

Thanks for this!! I’m in the market for one of these (plus or minus on generation) and there are SO few “younger” enthusiasts of these cars. (I say that getting ever closer to 40….) Great review. Actually looking at a few of these soon!

I like the hood ornament...very classy...and the maroon color, but I would go with the Cadillac, then the Buick, for WYR. I kind of like the grille, too, but the overall styling for this and other cars from this time period were a little...stout?

Not a good sign for them if 40k of 42k are the cheaper line. That was how they survived the Depression, but it cost them in the long run.

The styling of the 47 year Packard had better, more purposeful curves and lines. But I liked the taillight design on the 50 better. The flathead engines might not have been as efficient as the later V-8 but flatheads were known as being virtually indestructible. Too bad that Packard dropped the old engine in 55.

jay not my favorite era of packard but still a beutiful car ,It just didn't look as good as the artists renditions (they look swollen ,bulbous overinflated )I wonder if someone took a photo of a real car (same angle)and superimposed it on an artists paintng how far out of wack it really is? another GREAT show thank you P.S. why dont they make big luxury "cars" anymore ??? I WOULD BUY ONE

Something from Count Basie??? yeah, I know, that's a stretch. Dig the Big Band sound though!

This car does not have Ultramatic Drive. as advertised, rather 3-speed with Over Drive. When so equipped Ultramatic Drive script would replace Packard script on the trunk lid.

That's the oldest body style I really like.

WYR: All of them.

Hi Jay. I recently binged on a series of old Packard commercials and dealer training videos and took the opportunity to rewatch this episode. Like you, I was not initially a fan of the "pregnant elephants" but I've come around to the point where this series is one of my favorites. I'd take the Packard in the first "Would You Rather" comparison, but the second is harder - three of my favorite models of the era. I do have one question on the source of your information that the engine is a five-bearing model - some of the Packard ads from the era tout the straight eight as a nine-bearing design. Do you know whether it changed over time? Your channel is one of my very favorites. Andy

These always looked to me like the design team just gave up when they got to the rear of the car. WYR, the Cadillac and the Buick

1950 Packard for both

These were also known as the “bathtubs”. Definitely not Packard’s best although beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Not very fond of the next generation either. The “Reinardt’s” were named after their designer who came over from Ford……..and brought the styling with him. The last generation was a tad better, as they finally introduced an overhead valve V8 that was very overdue and the torsion bar engineering was a genius idea that gave them a riding edge over the competition. Unfortunately it was too late to save the company.

Nice car with a shameful paint job. It looks like somebody put it on with a roller. Anyway, these really are fantastic cars. And the Ultramatic is a dream on the road. I had a 1951 300 with an Ultramatic and it was incredibly smooth. First round, Packard. Second round, Packard, maybe Imperial. That’s a tough one. At any rate, I find GM’s postwar styling is wearing thin as time goes by.

Caddy then the Lincoln

By the time I became old enough to appreciate automobile design the mid 1950 Chevys and Fords had came out. I think the Packards were a dull design with to much chrome and simulate wood to try and compete with the Cadillacs and Lincolns but no where near the quality. They had a reputation as they got older as being expensive to keep running. The in-line 8 was out dated and Hudson stayed with it for too long. I know at one time the Hudsons were popular on the racing circuit which never made it big in rural Texas. There were very few Hudson dealers in my area of Texas so consequently I saw very few as a kid. They do look like the Mercurys of the time period from the side, but then I was never a fan of the bathtub Mercs.

The Ultramatic transmission sounds a lot like the Buick Dynaflow. Am I right?

50 Packard and Chrysler and Artie Shaw no clue lol!

Still elegant, but Packard was circling the drain at this point, being one of the few independent auto manufacturers coming out of the "Great Depression". She built aircraft/boat engines during WW2, but couldn't keep up with GM, Ford and Chrysler after the War. Packard was part of the conglomeration of the other Independent Mfg.'s, Studebaker, Nash and Hudson, in the mid 1950's, which ultimately became AMC.

Packard was one of America’s greatest manufacturers and one of my all time favourites. So sad they were scammed by Studebaker and met an untimely demise.

An interesting presentation of what most people considered to be quite an ugly looking car that soon became very unsellable in the car market. Since I would take any car over the bathtub Packard, including a Crosley, for WYR I will choose the 1950 Lincoln, and the 1950 Buick with its big toothy grille. 😁

WYR PACKARD!

as much as I like packard I would have to go with the chrysler

I gotta go with the GM's again... '50 Cadillac and '50 Buick. The song sounds like something from the "Rat Pack"... I'll take a wild guess and say Sinatra, but I don't know which song.

I have no idea on the song, is it Mack the Knife Bobby Darrin?

Packard styling was pretty much in line with what a lot of the luxury cars looked like at the time. A chubby if you will and rather dated in the overall presentation with aging technology such as a straight eight engine. It's shame how quickly Packard went downhill.

50 Caddy 50 Packard I love Packard automobiles but.... That hood ornament looks out of place on that car. Just looks too big for the car. That glove box might be the largest one I've ever seen. It's absolutely cavernous. Maybe it's actually for storing boxing gloves? The interior is also super roomy. Good for families. Surprised there's no blanket rope in the interior for the back seat passengers. Pretty cool Packard though. I think the styling is pretty nice on these but many would call it stodgy.

Too bad Cadillac dominated in the postwar era, none came close, especially Packard, which never kept up with the times

Frank Sinatra --Mr Cool ?

1950 Packard,1050 Imperial

i have to say I am feeling a bit disappointed that you completely ignored describing any thing about the ultramatic drive trans ,this has to be one of the first years available possably 49 but it was big news at the time plus did you even look at the buttons on the dash how many cars do you know of with a clutch button on the dash? could have done better recherching this one

Ok, would it be Michael Buble's version of Moondance ??

Got to like Jz style: the stand-out is the '50 Lincoln, for me, then Chrysler * i'll take the '47 Packard over the '50 on design not mechanical / engineering advancement. . . :>/

Corrupting your daughter 😱😂👏👏 be careful those convertibles aren't cheap 🤔👍✌️🤠

Correction: ULTRA-matic Drive.

Buick, Cadillac.

Hey Jay. Here in New Zealand we just don't see many if any, of these freaky different cars. We don't see many Americans really. Shame ! Lots of old Fords but fading..... Shame. Back in the 70's my cuz had the only registered '40 De Lux coup ! Now, theres a few. Imported. We just don't see these old discreet vehicle's. Bugger a ! Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿