The year 1956 marked the last hurrah for the “real” Packard. After that, Studebaker tried (somewhat successfully) to turn a Studebaker President into a Packard, but it was too little (literally!) too late.
There are stories of S-P trying to purchase 1956 Lincoln bodies from Ford to turn into Packards, but that idea died on the vine. What if S-P had purchased bodies from Lincoln, Chrysler, Cadillac, or even AMC and then found enough cash to make some sheetmetal and detail changes? Here’s what I think could have been the result.
What If…The 1947 Studebaker Wagon That Almost Was
1957 Packard Imperious by Chrysler
A new hood, reworked tailfins, and other sheetmetal plus a new grille and that’s it. Everything else is pure Imperial. The Carib convertible has heavily reworked quarter panels.
1957 Packard Caribassador by AMC
All we need here is a new hood, grille, taillights, and quarter panels to turn a Nash into a Packard Caribbean.
1957 Packard DeTrician sedan and ElCarib convertible
Pretty much the same formula here: new hood, grille, and quarter panels. Add to these trim and taillights and you have the Packard DeTrician sedan.
The ElCarib uses mostly Eldorado sheetmetal, but the fins are modified to accept Packard-like taillights. I added the arched center bumper to connect the Eldo bumpers. Speaking of bumpers, the canted front bumpers are stock ’57 Cadillac turned upside down and reversed.
1957 Packard Patricapolitan sedan and Capribbean hardtop
New hood, quarter panels, grille, trim, and reworked front and rear bumpers transform a Lincoln into a Packard.
Those nifty ’57 Packard designs would have been FAR BETTER Packards than what hideous disasters poor Studebaker came up with!!!! Keep ’em coming!!!!
mmm… NO!!