Jalopnik
Today we'll be looking at one of several Packards that still roam Alameda's streets. I'm not sure what it is about Packards in this town, but up until a the early 90s there was a shop downtown that specialized in Packard repair and referred to itself as a Packard dealer, so apparently there's a hard core of Packardheads on the island.
And why not? This is a helluva good-looking car.
The Cavalier for '53 came with a 327-cube straight-8 that purred out a respectable 180 horses. This one packs the two-speed Ultramatic automatic. Now there's a good transmission name!
As has happened with a couple of other cars I've photographed for this series, the owner (in this case, the owner's daughter) came out and offered to sell me the car, which drives just fine. Tempting... very tempting!
The interior is still in pretty good shape.
I'm pretty sure nobody is going to confuse this car with the 80s GM product with the same name.
The list price of the '53 Cavalier was $3234. For comparison's sake, the entry-level '53 Ford sedan sold for $1743 and a '53 Jaguar Mark VII went for $4170.
The trim details are just gorgeous; the Cavalier was a respectably high-end car in its day.
Packard was pretty much done after the '56 model year, although some rebadged Studebakers were sold as Packards for the '57 and '58 model years. It's a shame they joined the long list of American carmakers to downward-spiral into oblivion in the postwar era.
Related:
What Will Become of Detroit's Packard Plant? [internal]
Comments
So this is how old the J-body chassis really is!!!
I bet the Packard had a better side impact rating than the J-body...2 stars and still sold until like a couple years ago...ERRONEOUS!
This Packard begs to be painted flat black or primered with wide whites and do the rat rod/lead sled treatment. Wery nice, yes?!
@HeeeeyJake: Yeah but they used real metal not a plastic/aluminum alloy.
Just gorgeous. The grille alone is testament to Detroit's potential.
Next time I want another car, I should have you do the shopping for me. Quick flight out, and drive it home... less work than fixing most of the rust buckets I end up with in Ohio!
I'm a big fan of the rat treatment but IMO this one just oughta be driven. Prefereably while channeling a WWII-vet uncle wearing a panama hat/fedora/fez and smoking a stogie.
"Hey kid! Run downa street and put twenny on Battlegun to place in the 3rd at Belmont, will ya?"
I'm such a Packard fanboy now. Great find, MM.
How much did you have to pay for that fine machine?
You DID buy it, didn't you?
The JFG should have at least one Packard, IMO. A prewar car, I would think.
so, just how high does that straight 8 rev at highway speeds with a 2 speed?
@biminitwst: $6000 was the first number she mentioned, but it's clear the actual selling price would be lower. Oh, I'm considering it!
$6000 doesn't seem too bad really. The interior looks good, the body is straight and rust-free. I would buff up the paint and polish the chrome a little and drive it as-is.
If Packard had survived till today, do you think there'd be a bunch of yuppies driving around in $50K Packard SUV's? I wonder what a Patrician EXT would look like.
Holy crap, what a beautiful machine.
I wouldn't give it the ratrod treatment. Something about that car is just gorgeous as it is, and I don't think it would be improved much by primer black and a chop top.
I'd refresh the chrome, buff up the paint, and for the love of all that is good keep those fat whitewalls on it.
Then make it fast and loud.
Rowr.
Offer $4,000. Sounds like they would take it.
Damn what a fine find. The patina is just fantastic. I'm all a-twitter now. Thanks for sharing!
I bet a straight eight sounds good with Cherry Bombs.
Sweet fancy moses. The grille on the *inside* (under the radio) is nicer than just about anything on the outside of one of today's cars.
Whoever buys that should just clean it with no modifications. If you want to go nuts painting and chopping a car don't get one that looks great already (especially with all it's originality). Modern five year old cars don't look that nice. That would be a great slow drive car. Something that makes you go nod your head and say, "Yeah, you know it", to onlookers and sure enough they would.
Buy it, polish it, and enjoy it for what it is.
Ya prolly wanna update the brake system. Single reservoir I'm guessing, based only on the '66 Belvedere I used to have, the only pre 1972 car I ever screwed around with. Having lost most of the brakes on an '85 F150 while on a crowded freeway and finally finding an uphill offramp to assist is deceleration, I can only imagine the amount of fear one would have when pressing the pedal to the floor and getting nothing but a squirting sound and knowing there's no secondary reservoir.
A pal of mine sent me the link to this one. I've owned Packards since 1966, and in college had a '53 Cavalier just like this one except that it was a $50 car in 1968, having suffered the ravages of East Coast roadsalt. Murilee - I'm exceptionally impressed with the details you gave. All are absolutely correct - good job! The radio is a signal-seeking "Wonderbar", which I believe was a Packard first a year earlier. The body color of mine was all done in the roof color (forgotten the name) of this one; the body here is Orchard Green. The Cavalier was the lesser of the '53-54 "Senior" Packards - the top of the line was the Patrician which differed by having extra chrome on the rear door, fancier interior and 9 (vs. 5) main bearing motor of the same displacement. Both have 4-bbl Carter carbs and a 127" wheelbase.
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