"On This Day" In Engineering History

On this day in engineering history, the last Packard rolled off the assembly line at the carmaker's Connor Avenue plant in Detroit. Although the American automaker would continue to build cars for two more years, the 1958 Packard Hawk was more Studebaker than Packard.

A modified version of Studebaker's Golden Hawk, the Packard model was a two-door, hardtop coupe that would become known for its unusual styling and slumping sales. Indeed, as the automotive historian Richard Langworth has written, the last Packard wasn't a true Packard, but it was a very good Studebaker.

The Studebaker-Packard Corporation

When the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan purchased the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana in 1954, auto executives from both companies had hoped for a marriage made in heaven. Packard had courted Studebaker to acquire the latter's large dealer network. Studebaker had sought to improve its tenuous cash position.

Although Packard president James J. Nance had hoped to surpass Chrysler as America's third largest automaker, Studebaker's dealership dowry couldn't offset its cash problems. Even worse, Studebaker lost some 30% of its dealership network by 1956.

The Curtis-Wright Corporation

Plagued by parts-sharing disputes and slumping sales, Studebaker-Packard then forged a new agreement, this time with Curtis-Wright Corporation. The product of a 1929 merger between 12 companies, Curtis-Wright had been America's largest aircraft manufacturer at the end of World War II. Now, under the terms of its management agreement with Studebaker-Packard, Curtis-Wright would assume all of the carmaker's defense contracts. In addition, Packard would stop automotive production in Detroit and shift all of its remaining efforts to Studebaker in South Bend.

The 1957 Packard

Built for the 1957 model year, the "Packardbaker" (as it was derisively known) was dismissed as poorly-modified version of the Studebaker President, a storied nameplate that the South Bend carmaker had reintroduced in 1955. As the sole Packard model for 1957, the Packard Clipper came in a both a four-door town sedan and a four-door country sedan or station wagon. To keep tooling costs as low as possible, trim components from the 1956 Clipper were used. The stain of Studebaker was apparent, however, as Packard purists objected to features such as modifications to the rear quarter panel.

Less than 5,000 Packard Clippers were sold for that year.

Resources:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=7488

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_and_1958_Packards

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studebaker-Packard_Corporation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss-Wright

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packardbaker

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard_Clipper