125 years Packard - 66 years no longer Packard
08/21/2024
Even before Cadillac, Duesenberg, Lincoln or even Imperial, the first Packard was built in Warren (Ohio) in 1899. That would actually be a reason to celebrate - had the brand not come to a less than glorious end 66 years ago.
Together with Peerless and Pierce-Arrow, the company of brothers James and William was one of the "Three Ps" at the beginning of the 20th century that stood for the construction of high-quality luxury automobiles. With a new factory in Detroit in 1903, the company began its rise to become America's largest manufacturer of luxury vehicles - only to offer only remodeled Studebakers from 1957 onwards.
In October 1954, Packard and the equally ailing Nice Price manufacturer from South Bend (Indiana) joined forces to help each other out of the crisis. The result was pretty much the opposite. In June 1956, the last "real" Packard rolled off the production line on East Grand Boulevard. After only two years of the improvised "Packardbaker", the brand was abandoned altogether in 1958.
P.S. If someone offers us a stately pre-war Packard for a photo drive, we would be happy to pay homage to the brand a little more in the anniversary year!
