1950 Packard Custom Eight

Packard was one of the 'Three P's' of American luxury cars, along with Peerless and Pierce-Arrow, and the only one to survive the Great Depression of the 1930s. By the 1950s, the coachbuilding tradition and made-to-order vehicles of the 1920s and 1930s were replaced by practical factory-built cars. Packard had exited World War II in a strong position financially, something that had helped it endure the early-1930s, but it still trailed the Big 3 automakers in styling and design. Slowly, the company's reputation for building the highest level of luxury vehicles eroded, as jet-aged styling and modern overhead-valve V-8 engines took the market by storm. Packard responded by introducing all-new sheet metal with designs that briefly even outsold Cadillac but, by 1950, sales dropped to 42,000 cars for the year.

Most 1950 Packards were built on the standard and Deluxe Eight line. Above them was the Super Deluxe Eight which found 4,722 sales. The top-of-the-line Packard was the Custom Eight Series which found 955 willing buyers. Body styles included a sedan priced at $3,975 and a convertible at $4,520. A mere 85 examples of the convertible were built and 870 of the Sedan. Power was from an inline, L-head, eight-cylinder engine displacing 356 cubic inches and using nine main bearings and hydraulic valve lifters. It delivered 165 horsepower at 3,600 RPM and was backed by an Ultramatic transmission.

The lower series Packard Eight used a 'Goddess of Speed' ornament on the hood, while the Custom Eight had pelican hood ornaments. The interiors were very opulent with extra-rich Bedford cloth and leather trims. Exteriors were distinguished by extended upper belt moldings that wrapped around the deck lids, and egg-crate grilles.

Packard did not adhere to a model year changeover system and as such, they introduced an all-new 24th series line on August 24th of 1950. The contemporary styling was created by John Reinhart, following similar design cues from the prior Packards.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2020