Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th - 22nd 2017 at Russo and Steeles 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
It is a truly bitter irony that by 1955, Packard was slipping into oblivion following its merger with Studebaker, just as its best-ever postwar models debuted. All Packard models now featured an innovative front and rear torsion bar suspension system with automatic leveling, making the 1955 Packards some of the smoothest riding and best handling full-size cars of the era, reportedly even forcing Chrysler back to the drawing board to rethink its own Torsion-Aire design. A pair of modern and powerful OHV V-8 engines also debuted, displacing 320 and 352 cubic inches with 225 and 275 hp on tap respectively. In addition, Packard's Ultramatic automatic transmission was updated with a locking torque converter, offering the economy and performance of a manual unit with the ease of operation of an automatic.
Stylistically, the entire 1955 Packard model range was fresh and modern with crisp lines penned by Dick Teague, who would later go on to acclaim at American Motors. The Caribbean Convertible was Packard's image leader, with three-tone paint schemes, full leather interiors, a striking dash layout, and a host of standard power amenities. Power was provided by the top 275 hp, 352 V-8 with dual four-barrel carburetors topped by an iconic batwing air cleaner. Priced from 5,932, just 500 examples of these highly equipped and very stylish cars were produced for 1955, with another 539 for 1956.
Here is your opportunity to acquire an extremely rare mid-1950s American legend, and one of the last true Packards built before the Studebaker takeover and the demise of Packard as an independent luxury manufacturer. Powered by the 352 cubic-inch, 275- horsepower Packard V-8 engine fed by factory dual-quad carburetors, luxury truly meets performance with this 1955 Caribbean. This car features front and rear torsion bars for self leveling suspension, plus power-assisted brakes, power windows, power steering, a power-operated convertible top, dual radio antennae, and an automatic transmission.
This rare Packard is reported by the Consignor to run and drive beautifully. And of course, it carries a great presence with its tri-color livery. In short, its offering presents bidders with an ideal opportunity to acquire a sophisticated and highly collectible late-production example of the historic Packard marque.
