V.V.(1) Packard Patrician

[s~Z]

from Packard History:
http://patriot.net/~jonroq/pack-hist-1945.html

1945 - August 16 - Victory over Japan signals the end of the war. Packard
wartime production provided over 55,000 aircraft engines and more than
12,000 marine engines. Cancellation of government contracts at war's end
created problems with subcontractors, materials bought and ordered and no
longer needed, and total disruption of the manufacturing facilities needed
for automobile manufacture.

1945 - Packard War Production profits net 1.2%. As a testament to Packard's
wartime commitment, Packard's profits earned from war production was only
1.2% of government sales.

1954 - With high inventories of 1953 cars on hand, dealer orders to the
factory are way down, and production dips sharply to 31,291 cars - the
lowest in the company's history since the Eleventh Series of 1933-1934. The
car market was sluggish, and clearly the original Reinhart style had seen
its best days. Packard needed a new look and new engineering, and both would
be found in the series planned for 1955. The series designation change that
took place in 1954 made the 1954 cars 54th Series Packards - a numbering
system that would continue to the end. It was a natural change that should
have been adopted years earlier. Any numbering system that identifies a
product by the year of manufacture can be followed quite easily and without
much study of the system. That would certainly have helped Packard
enthusiasts, many of whom struggle with series designations and its
correlation with the year of manufacture identification. The 1954 Packard is
supposed to reflect the ultimate refinement of the straight eight engine
design. In reality and in retrospect, it was pushed beyond its natural
limits. The original 327 cubic inch engine was now 359 cubic inches - more
than the earlier 356 cubic inch engine dropped in 1951. With nine main
bearings, it still had crankshaft rigidity, but the 212 horsepower output
was asking a great deal from the old engine. The aluminum head, too, was a
problem area.

1954 - November - The 54th Series Patrician (5406) Packard 400 (5413)
Patrician Custom (5426) and the Packard Pacific and Caribbean (5431) are
introduced. Serial numbers are M600001 to M605618. The engine used for the
senior line of Packards is an expanded version of the 327 cubic inch engine
that now produces 359 cubic inches and 212 horsepower. Its rated torque is
330 lb/ft at 2200 rpm. The head on this engine is aluminum, and, in time, it
proves to be a troublesome feature. Nine main bearings support the
crankshaft. The body mounted on the 127" chassis, 5406, is the Patrician
(body number 5452). This body is both elegant and luxurious. The price of
the Patrician is about $4,000, and 2,760 are sold.

Advertising slogan: "Relaxed is the Word"

Photo:
http://www.packardclub.org/pics/54_patrician-sdn.jpg