The Packard Patrician was the senior car of Packard’s last years, built in Detroit from 1951 to 1956 and offered only as a premium four-door sedan. It replaced the Custom Super Eight, carried the best trim and the most expensive price in the range, and it was the last car to represent Packard’s traditional idea of luxury.
Packard Patrician at a glance
| Maker | Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit, East Grand Boulevard |
|---|---|
| Production | model years 1951–1956 |
| 1951–1952 name | Patrician 400 |
| Body | four-door sedan only |
| Wheelbase | 127 in (3,226 mm), shared with the 300 |
| Engine 1951–1953 | 327 cu in (5.4 L) straight-eight, 150 bhp, nine main bearings |
| Engine 1954 | 359 cu in (5.9 L) aluminium-head, 212 hp |
| Price 1952 | US$3,662 |
| Price 1953 | US$3,740 |
| Built 1951 | 9,001 |
| Built 1952 | 3,975 |
| Long-wheelbase cars | Henney Executive Sedans and Corporate Limousines |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Packard Patrician.
History of the Packard Patrician
The Patrician 400
The Patrician appeared for 1951 in the middle of Packard’s attempt at numeric names, when the range ran from the 200 and 200 Deluxe up through the 250 and 300 to the Patrician 400, which replaced the Custom Super Eight. It was easy to tell apart: stainless steel trim, including the brightwork extension on the top of the rear wing that Packard called the fishtail. In 1951 the car had three chrome ports on the rear wings and in 1952 four, a device borrowed from Buick. With the new 1951 bodywork came concealed door handles set into the chrome beltline around the windows.
Interior and price
The Patrician 400 was sold only as a four-door sedan, with high-grade upholstery and chrome inside. For 1952 Packard hired the interior decorator Dorothy Draper to refresh the colour scheme, and the car came with Wilton carpet and hassock-style foot rests for rear passengers. At US$3,662 it was the most expensive senior Packard, and it shared its 127 in wheelbase only with the 300; every other Packard rode on 122 in. Power came from the 327 cu in straight-eight rated at 150 bhp, in a Patrician version with nine main bearings instead of five but the same output. Introduction was in August 1950, and 9,001 were built for 1951 and 3,975 for 1952.
1953 and 1954
The “400” was dropped for 1953 and the Patrician carried on as Packard’s highest-trim sedan on the 127 in chassis. It was also the basis for Henney’s custom passenger cars, including 149 in eight-passenger Executive Sedans and Limousines, the latter with a partition between the compartments. A 1953 Patrician four-door sedan listed at US$3,740, while the new Corporate Executive eight-passenger limousine cost US$7,100. Henney’s professional cars — hearses, ambulances, flower cars and service cars — were built on a separate 156 in commercial chassis and generally used Patrician-style trim, except in 1954 when they used Cavalier trim. For 1953 the Patrician’s 327 gained a four-barrel carburettor, and power steering and Easamatic power brakes became optional; for 1954 the new 359 cu in aluminium-head engine with a four-barrel carburettor gave 212 hp, and the ignition key gained a start position.
1955 and 1956
The whole senior line was restyled for 1955 under Dick Teague, with a more modern grille, Cathedral-style tail lights, hooded headlight housings and a trim layout that made two- and three-tone paint easy to mask. The Patrician remained the top sedan until Packard production ended, and the model disappeared with the marque in 1956.
Design and features
- Senior sedan: the most expensive four-door in the Packard range.
- Fishtail trim: stainless brightwork on the rear wing, with three ports in 1951 and four in 1952.
- Nine-main-bearing 327: the stronger version of Packard’s straight-eight.
- Henney derivatives: Executive Sedans and Corporate Limousines on longer chassis.
Packard Patrician versions
- Patrician 400 (1951–1952): the original senior sedan.
- Patrician (1953–1954): the name without the 400, with a four-barrel carburettor.
- Patrician 1954: the 359 cu in 212 hp engine.
- Patrician (1955–1956): the Teague restyle with Cathedral tail lights.
- Corporate Executive (1953–1954): the extended Henney limousine.
The Patrician replaced the Custom Super Eight One-Eighty at the top of the range and shared its wheelbase with the Packard 300; the Caribbean was its open-bodied counterpart. More Packards are in the Packard collection.
Sources
- Packard Patrician, English Wikipedia: trim, engines, prices, production, Henney cars
