Studebaker or Packard?
Found this 1957 “Studebaker Clipper” on Craigslist, located in Westminster, MD. First I thought it was a ’57 Studebaker wagon, but then I looked at the back . . .
The 1957-58 Packards are snidely called “Packardbakers” by critics, because S-P used a Studebaker body shell and drivetrain with Packard-style trim to create these models when Packard’s Detroit factory was closed. I myself am not so critical of these cars–the final Packards have their own unique style and features which set them apart from the regular low-priced Studebakers.
To me, these cars look brighter and classier than any of the regular Studebaker models, with distinctive Packard personality in the front end styling. Author Richard Langworth called the 1957-58 Packards “America’s First Replicars”.
Clipper tail lights, “Packard Clipper” script, extra chrome–definitely a ’57 Packard!
This is how they were marketed when new . . . to the “Horsey Set” at the Hunt Club.
But that’s a ’57 Studebaker Commander front end. Apparently someone put a Studebaker front clip on a Packard Clipper wagon body. Could this be the only such hybrid in existence?
Packard-style dashboard with gold-accented Packard gauges. The dash vinyl on these tended to warp badly with age.
What it looked like when new.
Exclusive trim capped the modest fins.
High-grade seat upholstery looks somewhat intact.
Country Sedan (station wagon) interior shown in Lilac.
Engine is disassembled, missing some pieces. Is there a supercharger still there? Highly doubtful–especially if this is the Studebaker-spec engine which didn’t come with one.
So if you’re looking for a car that can rightfully be called a Packardbaker, I think I’ve found it!
Great find. Too bad this one is so far gone. The black one in the photo and the brochure shots show that these did have some appeal when new. (Although frumpy)
After seeing the holey goat brought back from the dead! Nothing is to far gone!
I recently bought this car with a clear WV Title. I have it in a 10X20 Storage Unit near BWI AIRPORT. Cleaned out most of the debris like from animals and the falling down Headliner. Starting the task of determining the status of the engine. It’s a very C@@L car just because the front says Studebaker and the back and interior says Packard. I feel it was a Factory Hybrid because the faded two tone paint appears to be OEM. It has substantial rust on the lower right floor boards BUT that ain’t stopping me. I got the rear tailgate and upper rear hatch working freely. Three doors now open and close. One was locked and will take more work. Don’t have the keys so getting the glove box open was not only a challenge but a Pleasant Surprise. What I found went to the Federal Reserve for possible replacement but most likely will not be. Silver Certificates typically are not exchanged. In the back of the car was ALL the wide trim not on the Driver’s side and even the missing right Headlight Trim Ring. I’m going to drive this car one day ASIS . With or without brakes. Contact me direct if interested in this car. 443-370-6212 Ask for Dale
Great news! Finding the “extra money” was a nice bonus! The Fed has specialized workers who “restore” damaged bills. And you found all that missing trim!
I just found this example on eBay so you can see what a restored one looks like (All Packard–not a Stude-Packard hybrid):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275930033260?hash=item403eb62c6c:g:HxEAAOSwEjRkoGf8
Dude! I SO WANT a mauve/purple/”lilac” steering wheel!
When George Mason’s plan to combine Nash with Hudson and for Studebaker to merge with Packard,then put all four together fell through, it was the beginning of the end for all four storied names. Hudson for 55 became a HASH and these 57 and 58 Packardbakers were really impressive for bringing the Packard upscale image to a smaller car. Believe 🤔 Dick Teague was largely responsible. The Black beauty shown in photo at least is a not so grand finale,but at least let’s Packard go to rest with some dignity!
Rick W,
The idea of George Mason putting together all 4 companies to form American Motors is simply fantasy. As a serious S-P guy, I, too, always believed Mason had intended all 4 firms would merge. However after quite a few serious automotive researchers found the original files for the 2 mergers, it’s become obvious it wasn’t even planned.
In several recently published books about Nash/Hudson and Studebaker-Packard, it’s fairly evident that Mason’s plans [and later George Romney’s plans] didn’t include Studebaker or Packard, and James Nance’s personal files indicate he wasn’t headed in that direction either.
I highly suggest reading at least Vol 1 of the book “Spellbound”, by Stuart Blond.
The faint evidence I’ve read suggesting Mason considered a three- or four-way merger had all of the brands moving to a Nash platform. I don’t think Nash-based Packards would have sold much better than the Studebaker-based ones.
As I understand, the big issue was control. Mason wanted to be top dog and so did Packard President (Believe Hugh Ferry)also wanted top spot. Also there was dispute over hierarchy of the four Marques. Mason’s early death and Romney taking over put the final nail in the coffin for the project. Sad ending for four great auto manufacturers. Did you know that Studebaker started out building covered wagons?
As I understand, the big issue was control. Mason wanted to be top dog and so did Packard President (Believe Hugh Ferry)also wanted top spot. Also there was dispute over hierarchy of the four Marques. Mason’s early death and Romney taking over put the final nail in the coffin for the project. Sad ending for four great auto manufacturers. Did you know that Studebaker started out building covered wagons? Just read your comment about the truth regarding the proposed merger. Thanks for sharing this. Like so much else there is always something that is told for so long, it seems to be truly factual.
Ferry was Packard’s President from January 1, 1950 to May 1, 1952, when Nance took over. Ferry then became Packard’s Chairman of the Board.
At the Packard Board Meeting on April 19, 1954, George Mason’s proposed merger (actually, a take-over of Packard by AMC) was read and discussed. Packard’s Board did not so much turn down the merger, but, as the minutes read: “No official action was taken.”
At the next Packard Board Meeting on May 13, Mason’s plan to merge Packard into AMC was once again discussed. The Minutes read: “On motion duly supported, it was determined that in view of the decisions made this day with respect to the Studebaker proposal, no action should be taken at this time regarding the American Motors plan.” Nance was authorized to inform Mason of the Board’s decision. I was unable to find any correspondence between Nance and Mason regarding this decision. (I went through the Nance files at Cleveland State University, as well as the Nash / AMC Board Minutes from 1947-55.)
George Mason died on October 8, 1954, long after Packard turned down his merger proposal.
Greatly appreciate the information. Was not sure when Nance came to power. Also long heard Mason passed before the merger. Guess by not taking action, PACKARD board was feeling 👑 Very PATRICIAN! 😉. Like many other Marques, at least PACKARD went out without indignity of forced switch to SUVS.
Very Cadillac-ish grill on the pictured 57-58 Packard.
I have come to conclude that the 57-58 Packard is the ultimate postwar Stude sedan/wagon. The details on the 57 are all really nice and the whole package is amazingly attractive, given what they started with and how little they spent on it. The dash is the only really nice dash on any 56-58 Stude.
I suspect that someone smacked the front end of the Packard into something way back when, and a doghouse from a 57 Commander was the best they could do from the local wrecking yards.
I think all 57 Packards came with superchargers, but those were gone from all but Hawks by 58 (going from memory). I came across a 58 Stude wagon for sale locally, but would rather have one of these.
Yep. All ’57 Packards did have a supercharger when they left the factory.
The McCulloch VS57 blowers tended to have some problems as they aged, and it’s not uncommon to find even running and driving cars sans supercharger. This leaves you with a 2 barrel 289 with 7.5:1 compression (bummer). If you’re lucky, the dead supercharger is the trunk, or the garage the car was parked in. The updated Paxton SN60 Studebaker used in 1963 and ’64 (they actually owned Paxton Products at the time) seemed to hold up better, though they’re not infallible.
I really like the cyclops eye speedometer Studebaker used for 1956-58, especially when it stood atop the dashboard in 1956-57. The 1956-57 gauges were almost cool, but then they cheaped out and made what shoulda been an ammeter and oil pressure gauge into warning lights. The rest of the dash was uninspired to say the least. 1959-62 Larks were pretty lackluster too, but 1963-66 stepped it up… where they were probably batting out of their league.
Wow, a luxury station wagon based on an economy car platform. Talk about niche. Interesting footnote to history. I would love to know production numbers.
It appears to have been under 900.
Call it a ’57 Cimarron.
What a fantastic parts car .
Hopefully some rich person will find and save this .
-Nate
Until 2016 when I sold my farm, I used to live and work in the Westminster, MD area. All the car guys in the area know I was interested in Studebaker and Packard cars, and was actively buying cars, parts, etc. I had heard rumors of this wagon, and had been looking for it with no luck.
Just north of my Maryland farm, & a couple of miles north of Littlestown, PA, I found a 1958 Packard Wagon [only 159 produced] in complete but rough condition from sitting in a field for 30 years. So I assumed the 2 were the same car. That car was not for sale at the time, and a few years later, all the cars in the field were crushed after the property owner died.
Imagine my surprise at reading about this Craigslist ad! I’ve contacted the seller and asked for more info, including the possibility that the supercharger parts might be sitting in a garage or shed near where the car was sitting. And I had to ask where the car had been hiding! Will do a follow-up if the seller contacts me.
The seller just contacted me back with the following words “Thanks for the info”, and didn’t answer any of my questions, so I guess he doesn’t need any help selling his car. Oh well! like they say GLWTA.
He doesn’t even realize that it’s a Packard!
GLWTA? Good Luck With That, A-hole!
I’m not sure if it bothers others, but I tend to be a crotchet when I run into ads like this one. It looks like alphabet soup vomit, and stuff like an odometer reading of 99999, inclusion of blurry pictures, makes me think the seller doesn’t really care about selling it. If they can’t be bothered, then why bother?
Oh, and if it’s priced at $1 in the title, I’m triggered! *laughing*
My cousin owned an auto body shop. He created many of these style mixed mutt cars for customers. Ford and Chevy full size noses were more expensive than Mercury and Pontiac noses at the salvage yard. Law enforcement and taxi fleets used Fords and Chevy’s and they crashed a lot of them keeping parts prices high so when someone crashed their 7 year old Ford Crown Vic and they didn’t have collision insurance, money could be saved using a Mercury nose.
With this much of it left, had to be “inside” for a protracted period of time, then out for quite a spell.
The title of the book is Spellbinder, Part One, which covers the life and career of James J. Nance from 1900 to 1954. Part Two covers 1955 to 1984.
Part One should cover the period when Nance was CEO of Hotpoint – and the 1951 Hotpoint fridge in my basement was built (original to the house when it was in the kitchen), just before he left the appliance business to try to save Packard. Although Nance didn’t seem to realize it needed to be saved and not just managed.
Corporate America is such an exclusive club. When a dying luxury car maker needs a lifeline they hire a guy with experience building refrigerators?!?!?!? Hard to figure out why that didn’t work.
I’m trying to decide what’s funniest in the ad:
“MONEY MAKER CAR HERE JUST AS IT IS !!!!”
“condition: fair”
“color: brown”
“STUDEBAKER COMMANDER CLIPPER”
– that huge park bench of a rear bumper that’s not at all discernable in the brochure drawing (OTOH, the side cutaway view in the brochure showing cargo capacity really shows how the last foot and a half of the car’s length goes to waste.)
It looks like some attempt was made to make the Studebaker and Packard parts look better together, with some white paint on the front fender and removing the wide aluminum trim on the Packard sections.
For once, a craigslist/ebay ad that shouts RARE!!! is true.
Touting “RARE!” in an ad just baffles me. People who know what it is probably also already know how rare it is (…or isn’t), and people who don’t know what it is probably won’t be enticed (and more likely put off) to buy it just because it’s “RARE!”
One of the few period photos I know of with a 1957 Studebaker parked curbside; Newark, New Jersey (not sure what street), c. 1966.
Good pic for a “you write the caption” contest!
So write one!
“Honey, don’t forget to take the trash to get the oil changed and put the Studebaker out for the garbage collectors.”
The Cimmarons/Versailles of their day. I’m sure more than a few wound up with Granada and Cavalier(or other J car) front clips after a fender bender.
It had to be hard to be a fan of Packard when this merger happened, the weaker executed design being the prevailing one to underpin cars is just bizarre, same goes for the Hashes after the Nash/Hudson merger. I guess that’s mergers for you, the consumer always winds up with a worse product.
The late period Saabs based on Subaru Imprezas or Chevy Trailblazers fall into this category as well. Like the Hash and Packardbaker, an obvious sign the brand is circling the drain.
For a while Saabarus cost less than the same year Impreza WRX but with a nicer interior.
Studebaker and Nash seem to have been struggling with the changing times 45-51 was when any old junk sold anyway with high demand not so in the mid to late 50s
I always thought the 57 Packard was really a nice Clipper. They should have made the Clipper as shown in 56 in South Bend and kept the senior Packard in the East Grand plant in Detroit. That would have separated the senior stuff from the Clipper As Nance planned
My family owned a black Packard identical to this one and we also had a 58 Studabaker President which was blue and white.
What is that a little door or access panel for in the front driver side quarter panel? It reminds me of plug in hybrid access door in some modern cars.
It’s an air vent for the passenger compartment. Pull a lever and it opens to let fresh air in. There’s one on passenger side as well.
Thanks Eric. Now I know exactly what you described. It just really stuck out to me due to the contrasting rust.