Pick of the Day: 1953 Packard Patrician

Cadillac might be The Packard was the epitome of American luxury to me when I was a fledgling car enthusiast, but history shows that the Packard was the world standard throughout the 1940s. Several miscues hurt Packard’s standing. Our daily picks embody the last vestiges of Packard tradition before it once again became a Cadillac contemporary. This 1953 Packard Patrician four-door sedan is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Houston. (Click the link to see the list.)

1912 First self-starting engine. 1914 The first mass-produced V8 engine. 1915 “The Punishment of Leadership.” 1929 The first synchromesh transmission. The first V16 in 1930. 1933 First adjustable suspension. High compression 1949 V8 engine. Cadillac made an impact in Detroit and overseas, but America’s premier luxury car brand – one of the three P’s (the others being Pierce-Arrow and Peerless) – also left its mark. Isn’t it ironic that it also begins with a copywriter’s pen? In 1902, “Ask the Man Who Owns a Car” became Packard’s slogan. If this seems premature, allow me to confirm your hunch.

Although Cadillac’s styling was strong in the 1930s and 1940s, it was not enough to surpass the Packard, which also had a strong sense of style, albeit more traditional and conservative. However, the introduction of General Motors’ new C-body in 1940 seemed to put pressure on Packard to introduce something more modern than what was currently offered. It gave Howard “Dutch” Darling 10 days to design a “new standard car line”; Darling came up with something that could be seen as taking up the baton from the Cadillac Sixty Special. To be honest, Packard made the Clippers more conservative than what Dahlin committed, but the Clippers sort of set the tone for the rest of the 1940s.

Packard was unable to ride on its success as World War II interrupted production early in the 1942 model year, and by that time all Packards remained custom models featuring Clipper styling. A series of postwar miscalculations allowed Cadillac to take the lead, and Packard’s redesigned 1948 model quickly aged. The subsequent 1951 redesign was more modern, but it lagged behind Cadillac’s powerful styling and lacked the modern V8 engine the market demanded.

19:51 marks the first year of the Patricia, the new name for Packard’s premium range, offered only as a four-door sedan with a 127-inch wheelbase. In 1953, Packard reworked the front end and added a 180-horsepower four-cylinder engine to the 327ci inline-eight. An Ultramatic automatic transmission is standard on the Patrician. This generation lasted for another year until a brilliant V8 Packard debuted in 1955, but by then it was too little, too late. America’s most revered car ended production in 1958.

This two-tone blue Packard Patrician from 1953 “demonstrates the exquisite craftsmanship and engineering for which the brand is renowned.” It was originally sold by Jordan Auto Sales in San Diego, but its history with Texas is unknown. The seller does claim that it appears to have had some cosmetic work done, including newer paint and patterned cloth upholstery, which is reflected in its description. AM radios with powered antennas were the pinnacle of high fidelity at the time. The seller states that “the trunk lid closes well and there is a colorful spare tire in the trunk.”

“Patrician” is the perfect name for a car that’s a prime example of the era you’ll be driving. You can show people how you won $27,500 (OBO).

Click here to view ClassicCars.com Daily Picks.