Though far from completely new , the 1955 - 1956 Packard Patrician / Four Hundred / Executive received probably the most revolutionary brass - lift of the 1950s . It represented a significant departure from late practices , not only in styling , but in engineering as well .
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Those who objurgate James Nance as a wrecker of the society are obliged to separate us what the old direction he put back would have delivered by 1955 : As onePackardwriter put it , there would probably have been nothing left but a $ 2,300 Clipper sedan , powered by the only unbent - eight locomotive engine depart in the world .
The new auto were committee - engineered – but what a committee : Bill Graves , chief engineer , headed the V-8 task , staffed by J.R. Ferguson , Bill Schwieder , and E.A. Weiss ; Forest MacFarland and Herb Misch developed the new Twin Ultramatictransmission ; and Bill Allison created the " Torsion Level"suspension .
It was on this last feature that Packard hung its 1955 advertising slogan , " Let the Ride Decide . " Torsion bars had been taste before , but never had they been mounted longwise , without anchor points , work on all four wheels . They provided a remarkable compounding of ride and manipulation , scaling even automobile - break railroad crossing with aplomb .
And as one Packard fancier likes to target out , " most of them are still leveling away more than 50 years by and by . "
The new V-8 , a solid design , boasted the gamey horsepower in the industry save for the Chrysler 300 . Enlarged to 374 three-dimensional inches in 1956 , the bounteous Packard V-8 saw use in the Studebaker Golden Hawk , several retarding force racer , and even maritime lotion . More controversial was Twin - Ultramatic transmission , named for its combination of gear - commencement andtorque convertor , design to palm the V-8 ’s formidable baron .
With Twin - Ultramatic the car started in low , then shift to mellow via a band release and clasp ; at cruising speed the convertor locked up ( as became common in the 1980s ) . Its weakness centered on the complicated linkage used for the down - to - gamey shift .
Unless properly set up – knavish for most independent garages , and for owner once Packard dealer began disappearing – the high clutch would glow up . Also , Twin - Ultramatic kicked down too slow at mid - range rev , which cause lugging and incidental engine trouble .
Though serious Packard accumulator would have nothing else , most defenses of Twin - Ultramatic seem to contend that it would have worked very well if it had the form of factory service and support enjoyed by TorqueFlite or Hydra - Matic . Most judicious is this comment by a respected Packard writer : " the right way set up , properly driven , and properly exert , it was among the best available . But it was stern of a relapsing in any one of these requirements . "
Go to the next page to learn about styling on the 1955 - 1956 Packard older mannikin .
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Continued
Styling of the 1955 - 1956 Packard Patrician / Four Hundred / Executive , which after all were still base on the maturate plate dating back to 1951 , ponder the genius of Bill Schmidt ’s design section , chiefly Dick Teague .
A 1955 update touched all the footing for buyers with a glitzy mid-1950s eggcrate grille , hooded headlamp , a guy chrome mould for the sides to break up the tall show , tremendous " cathedral " taillight and two-fold exhausts at the backside , and a wraparound windshield .
Most importantly , the 1955 Patrician sedan was at last joined by a hardtop worthy of the first rank , named the Four Hundred – a designationPackardhad used before , but now spelled out .
Performance , good looks , a truly modern suspension system , and luxury brought Packard low success in 1955 . Sales nearly doubled 1954 levels , and the company enthusiastically released a mild face - lift for 1956 . In addition to the Patrician and Four Hundred – and with Clipper now officially a separate make – Packard added a lower - priced " Executive " sedan and hardtop on the Clipper wheelbase , price about $ 700 below the flagships and distinguished by the Clipper ’s pointed " slipper " taillights .
Unfortunately , the 1955 recovery had not been sufficient , nor nearly what Packard needed . Output , after all , still remain far below most pre-1954 figures . A deal of serve trouble take rear axle , tortuousness - Level motors , Twin Ultramatic , and forum quality , did further wrong in the marketplace . Sales , matter Clipper , flow again – to lower than the 1954 level .
Financing for succeeding models dry out up , Nance left , and Studebaker - Packard signed a direction accord with the Curtiss - Wright aircraft company . Future Packards would be in fact merely deluxe Studebakers : the 1956 was intend to be the last of the crowing Packard opulence automobile .
For 1955 - 1956 Packard Patrician , Four Hundred , and Executive specifications , continue to the next page .
1955-1956 Packard Patrician/Four Hundred/Executive Specifications
The 1955 - 1956 Packard Patrician / Four Hundred / Executive were stylish cable car for their fourth dimension , but they finish up being Packard ’s last - ditch endeavour .
Specifications
1955 locomotive engine : ohv V-8 , 352.0 Criminal Investigation Command ( 4.00 × 3.50 ) , 260 bhp
1956 Engine : ohv V-8 , 374.0 Criminal Investigation Command ( 4.13 × 3.50 ) , 290 bhp ( Patrician and Four Hundred ) , 275 bhp ( Executive )
transmittance : Twin - Ultramatic
Suspension front : sovereign , longitudinal torque bars
Suspension rear : live axle , longitudinal torsion bars
Pteridium aquilinum : front / rear drums
Wheelbase ( in.):127.0 ( 1956 Executive 122.0 )
weighting ( lbs.):4,045 - 4,275
Top speed ( mph):115
0 - 60 mph ( sec):10.5 - 11.5
