The Packard Pacific is an automobile manufactured by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit , Michigan for the 1954 model year. It replaced the Mayfair and was sold exclusively as a two-door hardtop .
17-552: In the early 1950s, Packard used a numeric naming scheme that designated Packard's least expensive models as the Packard 200 and 200 Deluxe, while two-door hardtops and convertibles were designated Packard 250 and its mid-range sedan the Packard 300 . For model years 1951 through 1953, the 250 hardtop was named the Mayfair; for model year 1954 only, the hardtop was given the model name Pacific . The Mayfair, Packard's first hardtop offering,
34-466: A convertible top. The cars were also given innovative exterior color schemes; most were given two-tone paint jobs (for example: "Carnation" (white) and "Amethyst" (lavender)), which were considered fashionable at the time. 1,189 Pacific hardtops were built before production concluded for the 1954 model year. Starting in 1955, Packard renamed its senior hardtop the Four Hundred . Production was hampered by
51-421: A four-door sedan, two-door coupé, and a three-passenger business coupé (lacking a rear seat). While similar in appearance to the senior cars, the junior Packard lacked the noted Packard cormorant hood ornament and had vertical tail lights instead of the horizontal units on the senior models. The junior models also lacked the wrap-around rear window feature found on senior Packard sedan models. The 250 model range
68-701: The Caribbean . Both the Mayfair and Pacific shared the same flat-head straight-eight engines (a 327-cubic inch for the Mayfair and a 359-cubic inch for the Pacific) with top-of-the-line, or "senior" Packards, but used the shorter 122-inch (3,100 mm) wheelbase of the "junior" models. The Pacific came standard-equipped with Packard's Ultramatic automatic transmission., while a four-way power seat, power steering, power assist "Easamatic" brakes, heater and windshield defroster, chrome cormorant hood ornament, and power windows were available as extra cost options. The body style
85-589: The Packard One-Twenty and the Packard One-Ten , and was renamed the Packard Clipper for the 1953 model year. Concurrently, the company also produced the Packard 250 , which shared the same basic body and wheelbase as the 200, but was equipped with Packard's larger 327 cu in (5.4 L) 8-cylinder in-line engine and stylized with more upscale exterior detailing. The 250 model line consisted of
102-515: The 22nd and 23rd Packard Series, Reinhart's "High Pockets" design was more formal than its predecessor, and would serve Packard until the end of the 1956 model year when true Packard production ceased. Both the 200 and the 250 were considered "junior" series cars, and were separated from the Packard 300 and Packard Patrician 400 models by their shorter wheelbases (122 in or 3,100 mm versus 127 in or 3,230 mm) and lesser trim appointments. Packard 200 standard models were available as
119-753: The automotive press and make Packard look less moribund, like the Packard Pan-American and the Packard Panther . The 200 and 250 models were renamed the Packard Clipper Special and Clipper Deluxe, part of Nance's plan to ultimately spin the cars off into their own make in 1956 as the standalone Clipper and return the Packard name to a maker of strictly luxury automobiles. Total Packard production numbers for both years on both models: Packard 300 Too Many Requests If you report this error to
136-460: The convertible and the Mayfair hardtop. The 1951 Packard 200 and 250 were introduced as Packard's least expensive model range on August 24, 1950, taking the place of the low-line Packard Standard models which were eliminated for the 1951 model year. The 200 debuted as part of the fully redesigned Packard line, attributed to John Reinhart. Replacing the bulbous, ponton appearance, 1948-1950 Packards in
153-468: The first car-maker to offer power-brakes in 1951. “Easamatic” as they were trademarked, were a product of Bendix and an exclusive to Packard. Changes for 1952 were minimal, and centered on the requisite annual trim updates. Packard did drop the Business Coupé, a move that other U.S. automakers were also making at the same time. While Packard's overall sales for 1951 were over 100,000 units, too many of
170-726: The lesser Packard 200 and 250 models, diluting the Senior Packards of the visual uniqueness that separated them from lesser priced cars. To remedy this, Packard hired James J. Nance , the CEO of Hotpoint to reestablish Packard as an automotive leader. Among Nance's first moves was to begin building model identity by dropping the numeric model designations and renaming the entire range of models. Nance also saw to it that Senior Packards received broader visual cues and trim to separate themselves from lesser models. Nance also began creating different specialty and show cars in an attempt to create "buzz" in
187-544: The sale of Briggs Manufacturing Company who had supplied bodywork to Packard beginning in 1941. Packard 200 The Packard 200 was an automobile model produced by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit , Michigan during model years 1951 and 1952. Models in the 200 designation represented the least expensive Packard model range, on the firm's shortest wheelbase, and least powerful 288 cu in (4.7 L) 8-cylinder in-line engine. It replaced
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#1732858627373204-455: The spartan appointments found on the standard models, and added chrome wheel rings, and turn indications as standard. White-wall tires and full-wheel covers were also extra. The 288 cu in (4.7 L) straight-eight produces 135 hp (101 kW) at 3600 rpm with a 7.0:1 compression ratio - Ultramatic-equipped cars received a slightly higher compression ratio of 7.5:1 thanks to which it offered 138 hp (103 kW). The 327 V8
221-495: The units sold were low-line models in the 200 and 250 series. Senior Packards – the traditional prewar niche that Packard ruled in the 1920s and 1930s – offered during 1951 and 1952 were only available as two models, the 300 and the Patrician 400, both of which were only available in a single body type, the four-door sedan. Dealers, who were quick to appease their customers, sold Packard 300 and Patrician 400 model trim and applied it to
238-427: Was also available as an option on the 200 for $ 45, considerably less than the cost of a heater/defroster. The 1951 4-door Touring Sedan was listed at $ 2,616 ($ 30,708 in 2023 dollars ). Items which have since become standard to the auto industry since the late 1960s such as heater, radio, tinted glass, carpeting, etc., were all optional on the Packard, as well as other premium cars during that era. Packard also became
255-530: Was also used as a convertible, while the name Pacific was used exclusively for the hardtop. The convertible, labeled as the Model 5479 saw 683 manufactured with a retail price of $ 3,939 ($ 44,691 in 2023 dollars ) while the hardtop was offered at $ 3,827 ($ 43,420 in 2023 dollars ). The Pacific was distinguished by high levels of interior trim: for instance, leather upholstery was provided, and the cars' interior headliners were ornamented with chrome strips intended to suggest
272-504: Was created for the 1951 model year in order to keep in competition with the Oldsmobile 98 Holiday , Buick Roadmaster Riviera , Lincoln Capri and Chrysler New Yorker Newport hardtop coupes. The Mayfair was named after the exclusive Mayfair district of London . When the hardtop was renamed as the Pacific, Packard associated the model with its senior level, personal luxury car offering,
289-596: Was introduced in March 1951, and was specially designed to fill the vacuum of Packard having neither a hardtop or convertible in its 1951 model range when the Victoria Convertible was discontinued. Besides their unique body styles, 250's received three jet-louvers on each rear-quarter panel. Better grade trim and fabric were used within. All Packard 200 models came with twin horns, two sun visors, front and rear bumper guards, spare tire and jack set. Deluxe trim level included
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