Packard was in much better shape than Studebaker, which was easily the weakest of the four Independents... They never actually did any proper due diligence if they had they would have stayed far away from it
@@kenon6968 plus due to the stock arrangement the new board was almost entirely Studebaker members. I think they just wanted Packards still ample cash reserves that were more than adequate to bring the all new 1957 to production. Same thing happened at Chrysler when Daimler took them over and stole their cash and gave them the Crappy Mercedes based 300. With less room, more weight and expensive rear wheel or all wheel drive! Had it not been for one Daimler member taking a liking to Chryslers Mercedes based 300 concept they wouldn't even had that car! Plus Daimler refused to fund the 3rd generation LH cars leaving Chrysler with a bunch of nothing! Sad how corporate egos have ruined so many companies. Using egos to make decisions instead of market and other metrics to make logical decisions!
Totally agree the Predictor is one of the best concept cars of the 50's, from any manufacturer. Packard never lacked in the design department, just finance and management.
Really by this time Nance had built a strong management team at Packard. They had the cash needed to bring the all new 57's to market had they not done the hasty merger with Studebaker which just was flushing Packards cash down the toilet almost overnight!!
@@49commander Packard had a number of lean periods over it existence. It's reluctance to have an entry level mass production car almost did it in when the Great Depression hit. Finally, they saw the writing on the walls and the 120 saved the company.
@@stevenjones1441 Ram Trucks are still mostly Detroit since Europeans don't have that technology. The new Hurricane 6 was started before Diamler took over. It was to replace the old AMC 4.0. Took forever to get the money to bring it to production.
I've never seen or heard of the Sceptre, but that's no Dick Teague design. That baby has Brooks Stevens written all over it. Yes, Adam, we want to see more of it!
I have seen this car in person at the Studebaker museum in Indiana. Dick Teague was a great designer. The 1964 American, the 68 Javelin, the AMX and his 1970 Hornet are stand outs. 👍
@@curtisjknight6367 Yes, I have seen all of those at the Studebaker museum. Interchangeable panels and very cool Sylvania headlights. If they had of made those I would definitely own one today. Will have to make do with my 63 V8 Lark.
I owned an early 63 Corvette Roadster. My first thought at seeing the front end of this Packard was that this was where the C2 Corvette got its styling. This includes the hood (C2 rounded over that squared center bulge.) The T-tops were on the C3 and later cars from various makes. The rear roofline and window were like my uncle's late 50s Lincoln. And those center gauges are similar to the 65 Bonneville and the 70 240Z. Lots of innovation here, as well as lots of copied styling. THANKS for this video!
I know Studebaker was far from perfect; but Studebaker Champions and Presidents were the vehicles my grandparents drove until they were done. Thank you for featuring the Packard!
The tail fins look like they were a great inspiration for the 1960 Plymouths. Our neighbors across the street used to have a Caribbean. It had torsion bars and could level the rear end if my memory is correct. Thanks for postingbthis.
Wow, what a rare car, my rear car neighbor had a Maserati Quattroporte returning to its natural elements in his front yard, it being northeastern Canada and Italians being innovators in self recycling steel.
Interesting you post this on June 25th. June 25, 1956 , the last " real " Packard ( a black 1956 Patrician ) would leave the Connor Avenue Detroit plant. Exactly one year later, June 25, 1957 , AMC would build the last Hudson & Nash automobiles. A quick note. Packard actually bought Studebaker. Lehman Brothers brokered the deal in which Packard's stock was used to purchase Studebaker's debt. And three notes on the Predictor itself. First, the original name was the Projector but it was changed. Second, under the hood is a 1956 275hp 352ci V8 that was used in both the 1956 Clipper Custom & the midyear Packard Executive. The 260hp quoted was the rating of the 1955 352 ci V8 used in the 1955 Packard Four-Hundred & Patrician. And Third, I'll give Creative Industries a nod. They were the company that hastily repaired the Predictor after it suffered a dash fire, soon after the car arrived from being built by Ghia. They got done with the repairs barely in time for the 1956 Chicago Auto Show.
It was called Torsion-Level and used two long torsion bars that interconnected the front and rear wheel on each side. one end was twisted clock-wise and the other counter clockwise. The system nearly eliminated all front to rear pitching over intersection crossings, rail road crossings or undulating roads. It also substantially reduced body leans in sharp curves with the need of large anti-sway bars. This kept side to side rocking to a minimum. The leveling system employed two additional Torsion bars connected to the rear axle and were twisted by the screw jack motor to level the car. The geometry of the suspension control arms resisted Nose Dive on braking and rear end squat on take off! The system was equal to Citroens Hydraulic Suspension used on the DS21 and far more reliable and produced better handling than GM's trouble prone air suspension. Most of which were replaced with regular coil springs after less than a year after introduced. Packard had a well proven chassis, engine ready for the all new 1957's. They had a new substantially improved Twin Ultramatic ready as well. So basically the 1957's were just brand new bodies on proven chassis. Unlike Ford and Chryslers All New 1957's. Should had been a winner.
Except the 1957s were never produced. Instead 1957 "Packards" were tarted up Studebakers. Yes, the "Torsion-Aire" term he used was what Chrysler called their torsion bar front suspension introduced in 1957. The "aire" part was just to make it sound like the air suspensions introduced in 1958 by GM and Ford, but no actual air was involved.
While the torsion bar setup helped fore-aft diving/squating tendencies, it did nothing for side to side swaying in corners--no interconnected torsion bars for that. These cars were very softly sprung and in corners, well, fasten seat belts! The Citroen system in later years was vastly more sophisticated, but very complex with its 2,000 psi hydraulic system.
@@Greatdome99 your are partly incorrect. When turning both ends of the Torsion bar were twisting effectively doubling the spring rate! Engineers at Packard were able to create development models with near zero Nose Dive on Braking and Nearly flat cornering, However, tire technology made flat cornering unsafe because tire adhesion was so poor on US bias ply tires the feeling of lean made people back off to prevent sudden traction loss! European cars were already using radial ply tires in the 1950's since nearly all their tire factories were destroyed in WW-2. I have driven a 1952 Packard with new OEM type bias ply tires. Go into a curve too fast and the car just slides. That is why all cars until the Corvair were made to severly understeer. Tires just couldn't grip. Its also why larger brakes were pointless. Just made the wheels lock up easier. Yes the cars were very softly sprung and that was a sales and marketing demand. Tires in the USA made huge leaps in the 1990's!!
Many aspects of it are ahead of its time! I really like the interior! The front is nice too, like the corvette as you mentioned! The roll top, T-top was pretty unique! Glad its restored and saved!
The Predictor really didn’t predict much, but it is way cool. Adam- please talk about that gorgeous 1960s Studebaker Scepter designed by Brooks Stevens next to the Packard.
Certainly a unique car. I chuckle a little bit at how far inset the wheels are from the edge of the wheel wells. Reminds me of your Canadian Pontiac sporting the Chevy chassis. 👍
Not quite. Photos exist of Edsel prototypes taken in November of 1955. These prototypes already sport the famous for 1958 " Horse Collar " grille in its almost final form.
The Predictor was in response to years of requests from Packard buyers to bring back the vertical grille style of the classic pre-war Packards. The "Request" show car was the precursor to the Predictor.
@@gruntherblendin388good point about the request, not nearly as well integrated a design as the predictor. Funny how Studebaker Packard in all their wisdom actually ended up grafting a grill onto the Loewy coupes, can't win them all...
Amazing!. The list of cars that borrowed from that design... Corvette, Cadillac, Fords, Mercury, Buick Riviera, Edsel or Pontiac nose, 59 Chevy round gauges, that style speedometer used in many cars..... That curve off the top of the fender to the center of the headlights on current cars....
What a treat to see this beautiful car out in the sun! (And I see the Studebaker Sceptre behind it, so I hope you feature that car in an upcoming video too.) I'm seeing a few ideas/features that showed up on the XM Turnpike Cruiser, the production Turnpike Cruiser, and the '59 Mercury. This car has a beautiful interior, which looks like it might still feature the original upholstery. Thank you, Adam.
I just see trouble trying to sell that design , like the 1959-1960 Continentals that were so excessively done. And the overworked torsion bar suspension and it's motors would have sunk this idea , and taken the whole company with it .
There was talk of sharing the body frames I believe for the abortive '57 models. Interesting to that Lincoln went with the "pregnant elephant/ bathtub" styling immediately post war as well, weird similarities
The exit of Packard is one of the most vexing. How they took so long, after making all those Merlin engines for the P-51s, to come up with an OHV engine. Cadillac introduced theirs in '49. It seems Packard was just overly conservative after their rough ride through the depression, but their product suffered from it, being comparatively stodgy. This (and the Panther) being a notable exception. And the merger...right up there with the Penn Central merger a dozen years later.
Cars like the 110 and the 120 save the Packard name plate from the decimation which was the depression but it was a wrong move to keep going down mid-market in the postwar sellers boom, their management however hated the senior line and proceeded to erode magnificent brand equity in very short order
One of the things I've seen written in a Packard Club publication was about Packard's profits during war years. IIRC, the article said that under a War Profits Act, a company's profits were limited to the margin the company had in certain years before the war. This was to avoid war profiteering, mostly seen as a commendable goal. However, since Packard had a lower margin in the years leading up to the war, the company was limited in the margin percentage they could make. Even though Packard introduced lower priced models in the late 1930s, applying the lower margin meant that they didn't accumulate the cash reserves that a company like Ford (with far more popular low priced models and greater economies of scale) could accumulate on an equal amount of sales. This meant that Packard didn't have the resources to develop the features, like a V8 engine or automatic transmission* to compete with the Big Three. * I have a 23rd Series (1949/50) Packard with the Ultramatic. The most charitable thing I've seen written about it is that it was "designed for leisurely acceleration." Having also driven a 1950 Oldsmobile with automatic, I'd say that, even though my Packard has an Ultramatic in very good condition, the Oldsmobile's transmission has much better response. Packard: Ask The Man Who Owns One. Edit: Punctuation
@@RobertJarecki that adds an interesting new dimension to their post-war woes. And yet they still managed to pull out an independently designed automatic transmission, a modern V8, and dick teague pulled off a very convincing restyle for 55 of the 51 body shells, alas it was probably already too late by 55 even if they didn't have production issues
@kenon6968 Ooops! I didn't mention the V8. Thank you for reminding me.* *The V8 was a modern design. The oil pump, however, had a pot metal cover that expanded in heat enough to sometimes allow air to be drawn in and damage the engine. Concerned owners may still be able to get a steel replacement from Custom Auto on French Street in Santa Ana California if the replacement hasn't already been made. Edit: typos
I got to sit behind the wheel of this one in storage at a Studebaker warehouse in South Bend. There was some paint damage on the trunk that's thankfully been restored.
There has been a lot of research done on the Studebaker-Packard merger. As they got close to doing the deal, it was determined that Studebaker's cost figures to build their cars were fiction. They were losing money on every car. They still did the deal, because the management felt that they could consolidate production and achieve profitability. That meant the antiquated Packard production facility on Grand Blvd would be closed as production went to South Bend. Ultimately, they didn't achieve that profitability, so there was no money to put into both Studebaker and Packard models. For 1957-1958, the Packard models were gussied up Studebakers, earning them the ignominious name of "Packardbakers".
I can see some Corvette, Mercury, Edsel, Plymouth and even Pontiac styling that may have come from this monstrousity, but I wanted to see more of that black car you kept teasing us with.
Brook Stevens Studebaker Sceptre. Both of these are usually inside at the Studebaker museum in South Bend. I saw the Scepter at the car museum in Hershey PA a few years ago, so it does get out on occasion.
I had no idea this car still existed! I remember seeing photos of it in Collectible Automobile magazine in the mid 80s. As a kid , I remember pouring over the photos of this and Packard concept drawings. I believe this is when my old car obsession really kicked into high gear , especially my love for the 50s era cars. Thanks for sharing this Adam.
Packard made some of the most BEAUTIFUL CARS ever produced. It is a sham they went out. Along with Studebaker, and Hudson, and Stutz, and Duesenberg's. Chrysler did too!
My first thought was a modernized Buick Y Job. Then, like so many others have written, I saw so many designs cribbed by other manufacturers. Teague was a genius, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Thank you for sharing ~ Chuck
I have had the privilege of seeing this one in person at the Studebaker National Museum back in 2000. I'm also loving the Studebaker Sceptre that makes an appearance in the background of this video, hopefully we will soon get to see this one up close soon.
***I think you have the most interesting in depth, very cool car videos and I really don't know why you don't have over a million subscribers. I wish everyone would pass the word around and forward some of your videos to other like-minded car people because I think they would really enjoy them like I do. Thank you so much for all of your awesome videos***.
It's strange and I kinda like it..... Love your videos, very relaxing thank you for not bringing drama and music into your videos, they are perfect the way they are please don't change.
Adam, great video as always. I have a new idea for you: Have you ever done a video about GM’s “bi-level” HVAC setting? With the hot-cold slider near the middle, it simultaneously blew AC out the dash and heat down in the footwells. Then and now, I think 90% of people never understood and/or misused it. Or maybe it’s just me! 😆
The rear window later in the Mercury Montcalm ok m 64 and also the front quarter fenders and hood sure resemble several years of early 60s Pontiac including that nose in 69. Lots of future designs are seemingly present in this vehicle.
I still LOVE the 53 Caribbean Convertible, a true class act! It is my grail car! In the series Banacek, Peppard I think drove the 42 super Packard 180 convertible. Man OH man!
Looks pretty sharp! I noticed there was ample room between the quarter panel and the rear wheel to make it a dually so you can probably tow a fifth-wheel with it.
As a studebaker owner and lover, had studebaker/packard merged with nash/Hudson to make a bigger better amc maybe amc would still be here.. I have a 58 silver hawk. I love it.. I do also think that studebaker should’ve kept the new packard v8 as their big block. Both the 289 stude and 352 packard are awesome engines capable of making much more power than stock. I’m an orphan car fan for life.
Agreed 100%, imagine what both Studebaker and Packard would've looked like during the Muscle car era of the 1960s and early 70s had both Studebaker and Packard merged together with Hudson and Nash along with Kaiser and Jeep to create AMC in 1954, AMC would've definitely been the big 4th for sure. Here are the AMC Divisions, Kaiser=Cheap budget brand(to compete with Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth) Studebaker=Mid-level/Performance brand(to compete with Edsel, Pontiac, and Dodge) Nash=Mid-level luxury brand(to compete with Mercury, Oldsmobile, and Desoto) Hudson=Upscale Mid-level luxury brand(to compete with Lincoln, Buick, and Chrysler) Packard=High-end Expensive luxury brand(to compete with Continental, Cadillac, and Imperial) Jeep=The ultimate truck brand(to compete with Ford/Mercury, GMC, and Fargo) These AMC Divisions would've been great for the 50s, 60s, and early 70s during the Muscle car era and would've also competed with the Japanese Imports during the oil embargo in the 1970s as well.
Appreciate the clarification/education on this Packard. The background story helps with what I perceived as 'just throw everything at it concept'. Love the execution, and hated the Greenhouse. 🏁🇺🇸 Now about that Studies' next to it, which has so much GM Buick Special & Nova influences.👍🏾
Interesting design choice to have the horizontal grille lines carry 3/4 down the body like that. Kind of reminds me of early Citroëns where the grille was blended with the hood/bonnet in a weird rippled corrugated sort of pattern.
Keep in mind, most of the Packard people left for Ford to bring their Edsel to production and when it failed many were sent to rescue Lincoln and they were critical to bring the best car Ford had built in decades to market, the all new 1961 Continental!!
Really everyone buts Studebaker, throw Kaiser in there as well..but egos got I the way, Nance and Romney we're never going to play nice with each other. Nash tied up with Hudson, Packard couldn't go it alone so I had only one partner left in the dance.
Actually, George Mason had approached Packard about merging as early as 1948. He was shown the door by Packard. Mason admitted that Hudson was his second choice because Hudson & Nash directly competed with each other.
The front of the Predictor is elegant. Some design elements of the overall exterior and interior remind me of the '58-'60 Thunderbirds. Industrial designers watch their competitors so I can fathom some of inspiration drawn from this car. Only the deep inset of the wheels make it look like the body is too large for the chassis. A few years ago someone took the Predictor for a spin and posted their driving impression. I recall they liked the smooth ride, due to the cars weight. Additionally, its unique features received accolades. Negatives were confined to a lack of power and a ungainly turning radius. *For the summer public introduction of the Lincoln Futura, two Ford executives were chosen to drive it through Central Park. Once underway, electrical shorts caused both the ventilation system and combination door-canopy release to fail. They couldn't exit at the planned press conference downtown. After a quick drive by, they headed to private airport hanger where Ford mechanics eventually freed them.
Great info! Very educational. I like the predictor, but the front end is kind of Edsel-esque. I agree that Dick Teague was involved in some great designs. Late '60's Javelins are among the coolest looking cars of that type during that era.
Thanks for this one, Adam.. I always thought the Packard Predictor was a stunning vehicle, and it's unfortunate it wasn't made into production form as the swan song for the Packard brand. It fits perfectly with the late 1950s design ethos.
Except those all came later. Ford definitely also copied the steering wheel for Lincolns. The 1959-60 Lincoln wheel even is two tone black and white but with the colors reversed.
We can obviously see where pontiac got their inspiration from for many of the full size cars they made in the late 60's, and also the Bonneville and Catalina of the early 60's, that front end is the giveaway.
9:30 The "Torsion-Air" self-leveling system would be a great topic for a separate video. With all the active suspension systems that were replaced by their owners with more reliable steel springs over the years, Packard might have had the right idea in basing their semi-active suspension on steel springs.
Ford started poaching Packard engineers and designers in the early 50's, primarily for its Lincoln division. That is why you see Packard advanced styling cues beginning with FoMoCo's 56 models. It could be said that the 56 Lincoln should have been the 55 Packard with a different face.
The Torsion Level suspension did NOT have a torsion bar for each wheel, but, two long torsion bars tying the front and rear wheels together, and, two short torsion bars at the rear of the car to level the car as it is loaded or unloaded with luggage, passengers or fuel. The Clipper suspension had no leaf or coil springs or air bags.
According to the great book "The untold story of Detroit's secret concept car builder" by Leon Dixon, the principal designer of the Predictor was Dick Macadam. And, even though Ghia built the concept, Creative Industries of Detroit had to "shake out" the kinks to make the car presentable. Dixon's book about Creative Industries is really a wonderful history of how Creative worked behind the scenes on many concept cars. Worth reading.
That's just a modified 1957-58 Studebaker Golden Hawk. The big difference was the styling up front ( styling was approved by Roy Hurley: Chairman of Curtis-Wright ) & the leather interior. But the leather interior was previewed on the very rare 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk 400.
I was hoping to see it in motion. You told this sad tale quite well, though. By that time, there was a prototype of what was planned for 1957. Look for "Last Days In The Bunker", to find the story of the destruction of the prototype, told in Teague's own words. Drawings and images of what could have been are easily found, for those who are interested. It would have been beautiful. But Curtiss Wright was interested in doing things bass ackwards...
