Most people wouldn’t think of the Metropolitan New York and New Jersey area (part of the rustbelt) as being a good place to find well-preserved old cars. But actually it is–for two reasons: One, population density. When you have so many houses and garages per square mile, the odds of finding an old car increase. Two, there are lots of “old money” families, often descendants of early 20th century European immigrants–conservative people who are frugal and like to hold on to familiar things. So while cruising Facebook Marketplace, I came upon these two local beauties: a 1954 Kaiser and a 1955 Packard. They’re going to need some work, but if you are willing to invest some money beyond the initial purchase price, what a great car you will have!
First we have a really nice 1954 Kaiser Manhattan. I’ve always thought that the last-of-the-line 1954-55 models were the most beautiful of all. It’s located in Mineola (Long Island) NY. Price: $6500.
Sounded great until we got to “Engine not running”. 😕 The problem could be anything. Although I will say that mechanical things can be fixed; while body and interior damage is much harder or even impossible to make whole again.
Have you ever seen this curved rear window up close? Really graceful.
Check out this unique padded dashboard and instrument panel. Looks to be in mint condition! You can see the “Darrin Dip” in the windshield. According to Consumer Reports, the ’54 Kaiser was an excellent riding, easy handling car that felt light and not heavy (offering a contrast with Buick in this regard). The light car’s weight and six cylinder engine provided good gas economy. And when you needed an extra burst of power, the built-in supercharger provided it “On demand!” (according to Kaiser advertising).
We need a close-up of that incredible speedometer (which I got from another website).
Wow, check out that lush and colorful interior! How did Kaiser fail? For the same money, people wanted Buicks and “Rocket” Oldsmobiles with faddish new wraparound windshields, massive looks, V-8 engines, and the security of going with a popular brand.
Looks great in green and ivory. The unique taillights double as fins. CONSETTA is a popular Italian girl’s name. Every Italian family has a Consetta somewhere (also spelled Concetta, pronounced “kohn-CHET-ah” in Italy).
Here are those artistic taillights lit up at night–fantastic!
Next we have a 1955 Packard Patrician with 26,442 original miles; one owner! I should really check this one out personally, since it’s a reasonable drive from my house–about 10 or 15 miles down Route 46 in Mine Hill, NJ. Apparently it’s being sold by a coin dealer, someone who should know the value of things. Maybe someone traded the car for gold?
Are those genuine Packard wire wheels or aftermarket wheelcovers? The broken levelizer does not “give the car a cool look”–it looks ridiculous and wrong. Needs to be fixed. But who is qualified to fix such things? A while back I mentioned to a classic car mechanic that I would be interested in buying one of these 1955-56 Packards, and he said to me, “Don’t do it! Ultramatic is crap–leaks–no one knows how to fix it if it breaks. Will cost you a fortune!” Well, that was enough to scare me off. But sometimes you have to follow your passion, you know?
Ah, but let’s look at the bright side of things: that driver’s seat looks like a comfy place to be. Yes, I dream of commanding the road, piloting that big wheel with the golden instrument panel facing me, cradled in Torsion-Level luxury…a true thoroughbred!
There it is–26,442 miles.
With the mileage so low, maybe this is about as close as you’re going to get to owning a 1955 Packard in near-new condition.
The engine runs–there’s video showing that.
So is this the buy of a lifetime, or a gateway to more uncontrolled expense and frustration? Hard for me to know, but it certainly is tempting.
I’m going to give you a lagniappe (pronounced LAN-yop) as they say ‘way down south in New Orleans (i.e., “a little something extra”): a 1959 Lincoln Continental 4-door hardtop located in Belleville, NJ. Unfortunately, I just have one photo. Again, only one owner!
First of all, I love the color. Second, it’s a Continental, with the special taillights and the reverse-angled, power-operated rear window which makes the rear deck so large it resembles the landing deck of an aircraft carrier. Plus the ultra-lush Continental interior in tufted cloth in matching turquoise. Once (if) you got it running–driving and showing off this magnificent machine will, I predict, be a truly rewarding experience.
So those are my NY/NJ old car picks. Interestingly, all of them were beautiful, excellent cars that sold rather poorly when new. Within two years, Kaiser and the “True Packard” would be gone. Lincoln almost suffered the same fate.
We tend to believe that competition-based Capitalism and the Free Market naturally provides the consumer with the best products. And it generally does. But I have found that there are many things that don’t sell well which are high-quality and wonderfully made; and there is a lot of mediocre junk that is popular but not really very good. Examples can include everything from cars to breakfast cereals to home improvements. I’m sure you have your own list. But to me, the hidden gems I have discovered–although others may not see their inherent worth–are truly worthy of admiration and preservation.
Further CC reading:
CC For Sale: 1954 Kaiser Manhattan–Drool…But Where’s The Supercharger? by Paul Niedermeyer
CC For Sale: 1955 Packard Patrician–Endurance by DougD
That Kaiser is a fabulous-looking car! Should I have something like that, I’d be deathly afraid of needing to replace front or rear glass. Then again, a brief look online indicates that it’s not quite unobtanium.
The Packard for me is less inspiring. I’d think that one would have to go over that car very well to see if that’s a real 26K mile car. It kind of seems so from just the photos, but the seller also doesn’t seem like the easiest person to deal with from his ad…the “will not reply to is this still available” line is very off-putting and once again I wonder why some sellers need to be aggressive to people they’ve not yet met.
Love seeing the cars you discover in your neck of the woods!
The Kaiser club has manufactured new windshields, and that rear glass won’t ever go bad unless some kid with a BB gun is around. Yet there are Kaiser club members with parts cars and parts inventories that have plenty of those rear windows.
“Is this still available” is often sent by bots or scammers looking for matching email addresses/names/phone numbers.
Yeah, ok… So then that’s a problem with the platform (FB Marketplace) and still shouldn’t be taken out on the readers and/or potential buyers. Somehow though, we’re all supposed to understand that the platform and its abusers forces everyone to some kind of least common denominator of civility? Niiiiice.
That seems to be quite unfortunate.
Bots and spammers are seldom deterred by ornery written warnings, but normal human visitors sure can be.
The Kaiser for me – against it the Packard looks a bit generic and dull, and Kaiser is a great name for a car brand.
Not sure about getting it round the lanes round here though..
The less complicated the better, and my experience with Lincolns of this approximate vintage is that there will always be some power operated gadget to fix. The Packard is probably the same.
The Kaiser, however, might just (“just”) need an engine rebuild. It looks great as it is, cosmetically, and would take less room to store and also be easier to wash and wax.
Am I the only one who noticed that the ad for the Kaiser called it an “Oldsmobile Kaiser”? Huh?
I wonder if you have to choose from a selection of makes.. and Kaiser isn’t on the list? Maybe?
That explains it.
I think Marketplace makes you enter a make, and Kaiser probably isn’t an option. Usually, the seller will mention that in the text, but not always.
Saw that & I kept reading thinking maybe a Rocket V8 swap, but, alas, NO!
What’s ironic is that Kaiser was negotiating to buy the Rocket V8, and at some point Oldsmobile jacked up the asking price. Oldsmobile had probably figured out that their V8 would give better performance in the Kaiser, which was a few hundred pounds lighter.
Yes, I suspect that the Kaiser owner inherited the car, and wasn’t even aware who the manufacturer was.
Possibly the selling site limits you to certain pre-named marques? I’ve seen this come up on Facebook Marketplace, usually with a seller’s note as to the reason why.
Kaiser Does look great. a beautiful car with so many ‘little’ design touches. It does give off a slightly feminine feel, IMO.
Of course, I’d still take it.
I’m wondering about the actual mileage on the Packard though. Also, it takes some kinda balls to paint an automobile engine WHITE.
Of course, I’d still take it.
I’d take the Lincoln too. Another fascinating design, pretty awkward proportionally, IMO. But it’s so huge and ‘Glamourous”, I can’t help but like it, Plus.. Taillights 🙂 .
Regarding the “Is it still available” line. Facebook folks seem to get upset if you ask that. (Which is odd, as it’s a pre-populated line when you “reply” to the ads, so be sure and delete it before replying, or they’ll have a fit.. apparently.
“IF THE AD IS UP, IT’S AVAILABLE”.
Oh well.
Nice group of cars.
The late Concetta Franconero was better known as singer Connie Francis.
Spotted in my local wrecking yard this year….I’ve never seen on the road ever.
That Kaiser is a rare club coupe, should be saved.
Quickly looking in the ‘Standard Catalog’ book, wire wheels were a factory option, and fender skirts were standard on Patricians.
Would take the Kaiser since the body and interior are in excellent shape. Give me a weekend to work out the engine issue. As for the Packard I would like to see a schematic of that rear self leveling suspension and it anything can substitute. Of course, this weekend my wife is talking about giving our 16 year old son her Mazda 3. I’m not sure he needs to drive everyday to start. Then it went to me having 10 cars and why do you need the 10 cars lecture. She doesn’t know about #11 so obviously I am not in the market and more likely the dog house.
Torsion-Level isn’t a rear load-leveling suspension. (It does have automatic load-leveling, but it’s very different from stuff like the later Cadillac rear leveling system.) It has two sets of long torsion bars that act as both front and rear springs, with a linkage that essentially cranks them up or down with an electric motor to maintain height. Here’s a 1955 Packard brochure about it:
https://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Packard/1955_Packard/1955_Packard_Torsion_Ride_Folder/index.html
Thanks for that. Just for the heck of it I went down that rabbit hole to learn about the system and then over to the Packard Forum. Picked up enough there to probably get the system working if it isn’t already. The mechanical parts are not the problem, if all there, it is the electrical components. The electric motor, you mention, is basically a GM starter. If the motor were missing, and the compensator still there, then you can use an electric drill on it to change the height manually. Now electrical there is the control switch, brake switch and time delay where there is good info on how to deal with them.
In the brochure was the take off from a stop light so quick that it would snap your neck or jar your spine? Then the sudden stops that make the rear end pitch up.
Don’t think I’d do that in a 70 year old car even if sorted out correctly.
When I was younger, it would have been a choice between the Lincoln and the Packard. As I have aged, simpler (and cheaper) is better. If that Kaiser 6 is toasted, the fact that it was made by Continental (and that the cars aren’t in demand) should make it relatively easy to find one. As opposed to the Packard V8, which was only made for 2 years and is known to have suffered some lubrication issues.
That Lincoln is priced pretty aggressively for something that doesn’t run.
I’ve owned a ’56 Patrician, a ’56 Executive (late year model Patrician/Clipper hybrid), and a ’56 Clipper. The latter chosen as it was all original and had a 3 sp manual and no Torsion-Level, as both that and the UltraMatic (aka UltraTraumatic among us Packardistas) do sometimes have problems, along with V8 engine oiling issues (fixable with a Olds 455 oil pump mod), but these problems are not universal and the fixes are well known among the faithful. There are several experts who are the go-tos for them, especially one guy in Parkton MD who does it all, and to whom I sold my ’56 Exec about 20 yrs ago.
BTW that Ivory block with green valve covers is original to some 55th Series V8s, believe on 372 cu in only. The super-heavy block was designed to be bored to 500 cu in! If only.
All this said the Patrician looks to be in overall amazing condition and with everything working right they are wonderful to drive ride in, the suspension was way ahead of it’s time. IMO it’s a great buy. Yet the Kaiser also looks to be excellent and is no doubt the simpler car, that flathead 6 (Continental?) would be relatively inexpensive to deal with. Love the upholstery and those wild taillights!
Stephen if seriously interested go to http://www.packardinfo.com, read and ask questions. Great folks and very little of the confrontational attitude of other car groups. I’m the same name on there as here. If you have more questions let me know here and PM me there, am happy to advise. You’d never regret owning a Packard…
“Just ask the Man who Owns One”.
What a great trio of underappreciated cars. I’ve always thought of the Kaiser as being a bit of an oddball. But thinking about it, and looking at it as an Italian based design makes it seem a lot more appealing. As a young guy I would have immediately dismissed it, but as an old codger I can now see and appreciate the beauty in the Kaiser’s detailing and execution. This example looks great in green and white, and that interior! The engine is quite simple except for the supercharger, and from what I’ve read, it should run without a functional supercharger. There are a lot of things that could be wrong with the engine but it just might have problems from sitting for a long period. A set of corroded ignition points, or a bad condensor could prevent it from running besides the obvious fuel system problems.
These final chapter Packards are pretty amazing and they certainly look impressive. This example is running and driving which makes evaluating the condition of the drivetrain much easier. The suspension is adjusted by an electric motor that applies torque to the torsion bars to raise or lower the height based upon info from a height sensor. This is all analog stuff that could be repaired or worked around.
Nothing exemplifies Mid Century Modern design like these Lincolns. They were over the top when new, and still convey that same image. Most of the the air suspension cars have been changed over to springs. They do have a lot of power accessories that will give problems. However they are usually straightforward, like electric motors that often need to just be dismantled, cleaned out and re-lubricated, and all electrical connections and contact points will need to be cleaned. Such a neat “Googie” design car, and they recently seem to be coming out of the woodwork all over the place. I’ve seen a lot offered on various sites in running condition at similar prices.
Buying a running car is always the safest bet, as you can more easily evaluate it’s condition, and you get to enjoy it immediately, and start to bond with it. Don’t laugh, that’s an important component of your affection for your new/old car. It’s hard to develop affection for an immobile lump. And you will need to “love” the car to carry you through the inevitable and predictable rough times ahead in sorting out the car.
Are these three things money pits? Well, I can guarantee that they will all need some work, the non running examples will definitely need more work, but they might just need refurbishing before being re-commissioned. As long as you figure that the purchase price is just the down payment, and have another five to ten grand available to get them squared away you might come out fine. These three examples are all in very good condition; the bodies and paintwork and especially the interiors are all in good shape. Redoing these areas will cost a lot of money, so these cars have a lot in their favor. Don’t know about the interior in the Lincoln though.
I couldn’t imagine buying a car like this if I couldn’t do a lot of the diagnosis and work myself. Chasing electrical gremlins can take hours of tedious work and would start to run up the labor costs. In my COAL of my ’56 Cadillac I detailed how difficult it was to find a shop that would/could rebuild it’s automatic transmission. Believe me, many shops will not want to work on a really old car and they will give you all kinds of excuses. I found the same problem with my Jaguars. Finding a competent, trustworthy mechanic/shop is half the battle.Good luck with that.
If I couldn’t do some of the needed work, or preferred not to, I’d spend the extra money to get an already running, hopefully sorted out example. Spend the money up front, though even the finished running car will have some problems, guaranteed.
Of the three cars presented, I’d go with the Kaiser. They are uncommon, and this particular example, in that color scheme really checks my boxes. Those Lincolns are amazing, and I’ve always found them fascinating, even as a kid. You’d need a big garage to hold that car, which I don’t have.
The Packard, that’s also a car that I admire. However I’m glad that I chose my ’46 Plymouth, a smaller and much simpler vintage car. It’s a forty year old restoration that still has a few bugs I’m working out. It’s in good driving shape and I’ve been able to enjoy it from Day One.
I appreciate the quick primer. I mean that. Thanks, Jose.
Wow, these are all in great shape for unrestored ’50s cars, at least looks-wise. The Kaiser is ahead of its time with rear side marker lights (actually the Packard “cathedral” taillamps can be seen from the side too, and the front looks like it may have had side lighting too, though that may be just a cornering light only, don’t know). The Continental has the best interior of this trio, though the Packard dash is A+ too. Black far from the best color for these Packards though – I’m partial to the lighter two- and three-tones. I’m also surprised at how few ’55-56 Packards have air conditioning, even the expensive Caribbeans.
Enjoyable post. That Kaiser is gorgeous.
The Kaiser would be my choice also of these 3. My older son lives very close to Mineola — could have him check it out in person!
Hmmmmmm, that Packard looks tempting, and it`s not a bank breaker. If I only had a garage……….