1955 Packard Caribbean
Packard’s last gasp as a premium luxury automobile occurred in the mid 1950’s with the Packard Caribbean sitting atop the brand’s premier offering for 1955. With Imperial, Lincoln, and Cadillac providing V8 power in their model range, Packard gave up their allegiance to the old school Straight 8 and brought in a 352 cubic inch V8 with 275 horsepower on tap as the powerplant for the top of the line Caribbean. This new overhead valve powerplant exceeded the Cadillac Eldorado’s power output in both horsepower and torque.
A bigger more powerful engine was just the beginning of Packard’s attempt to satisfy the needs of the successful customers who longed for a luxury vehicle with eye catching style and envy inducing options. Gone were the bulbous nose and grills of the late 40’s Packards and a more modern slab-sided styling replaced pontoon-like fenders of previous years. Staid conservative styling gave way to modest tail fins, dual hood cowls, and flowing chrome side highlights to the credit of Packard designer Richard Teague.
This Caribbean Convertible is packed with deluxe features including a tricolor paint job of Jade White, Fire Opal Red, and Onyx Black and an optional white and red leather upholstery to match. Power steering and power brakes are needed to guide the 2 ½ ton leviathan through the business districts, golf clubs, and exclusive resorts of post-war America. And while the occupants enjoyed the comfort of Packard’s revolutionary 4-point Torsion Level Suspension developed by engineer Bill Allison, they could fine tune their driving experience with power-adjustable seats, a signal-seeking radio, electric power windows, and a motor-operated retracting convertible top. Add wire-spoke wheels along with optional dual spotlights, this was a very exclusive production vehicle, with only 500 made at a cost of nearly $6000. Despite the price, the ’55 Packard Caribbean outsold the all-new Cadillac Eldorado, but its success was to last only until 1956 when Packard ceased production in Detroit owing to fragile financial resources caused by their purchase of Studebaker in 1954. Packard could never fully shake its reputation for conservative luxury vehicles that were just slightly behind the times, a characteristic that was ill-suited for the up-tempo automobile market of post-war America.
Specifications:
Engine: 352 C.I. V8, Twin 4 Barrel Rochester Carburetors
Transmission: Automatic
Horsepower: 275
Weight: 4920 lbs.