Sources
- Flory, J. "Kelly", Jr. "Packard Pan-American", in American Cars 1946-1959, p. 1022. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Coy, 2008.
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The Packard Pan-American is a concept car produced for the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan in 1952.
Conceived as a moderate-performance two-seater by Hugh Ferry, president of Packard, it was built by Henney, which was responsible for fitting custom hearse and ambulance bodies on Packard chassis. [1] A status symbol for a carmaker at the time, this sort of car was a very unlikely project for Packard. [1]
With styling by Henney, it was based on the 1951 Series 250 convertible, and ready in time for the 1952 New York International Motor Sports Show. [2] Sectioned and channelled, in a fashion reminiscent of the 1953 Skylark, and wearing the trademark Packard grille, it "was elegantly trimmed throughout". [1]
Packard spent US$10,000 ($110,201 in 2022 dollars [3] ) building the Pan-American, and management tried in vain to imagine, let alone develop, a market for a roadster projected to cost at least US$18,000 ($198,361 in 2022 dollars [3] ), [1] at a time when the top-line Lincoln Capri six-passenger convertible went for US$3,665 ($40,388 in 2022 dollars [3] ), [4] the premier eight-place Cadillac Series 75 Fleetwood US$5643 ($62,186 in 2022 dollars [3] ), [5] and even Packard's Patrician 400, their most expensive production model, was only US$3,767 ($41,513 in 2022 dollars [3] ), and a six-seater. [5]
As many as six examples were built. The Pan-American did inspire a successful six-place model, the Caribbean, which debuted in 1953. [1]
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