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OK, more of a garage find, but the idea is the same. Not an Olds, but cool to come across nonetheless. I was at a local estate sale this morning, and this was sitting in the garage. 1952 Packard. I couldn't find a model name on the car, but the '52 Packard dealer brochure shows that this is probably a "300." It has "Ultramatic" script on the side, indicating the automatic transmission. Engine is 327 cubic inch straight eight. 62,000 miles on the odometer.
Asking $5100. There is a 1967 Ohio license plate on the car, and I'm guessing that that's when the car was last driven. So it's been sitting for 57 years, and it looks it. But overall it looks quite salvageable. There was no one to ask questions of. The only people present were from the estate sale company.
Cool find. I think the obo is going to be considerably less than the $5,100 and it will take lots of $$$$ to make it look like the one in the picture. Thanks for posting.
No they are not except the Caribbean convertible. This thing has a ton of rust in the rockers which look like they are gone and the lower rear quarter. Can you imagine the cost to rebuild that straight eight. I am sure it is frozen. The cost to rebuild the engine would probably be more than the car is worth.
My uncle had a Caribbean convertible when I was little. Only saw it once. Huge whitewalls, white trim, and turquoise paint. I saw something like the car in the OP for sale in 04 for I think 5000, but it was in quite good shape. I put the hood up and thought that straight 8 went on forever.
Looks like a good parts car for somebody that was restoring a mid fifties Packard.
Let's see, 4500 pounds of car times 6 cents per pound is $270. As scrap.
Double that , at $540 and you have what I would pay. If I needed it .
Looks like some scrapper already got the radiator,
Last edited by Charlie Jones; April 13th, 2024 at 05:09 PM.
Two. Any car that has sat that long will need Everything to be on the road again. Every gasket etc is dry as a bone. You aren't just throwing gas in that car and having a driver.
To me, it’s a cool old car no matter how many doors it has. It might not top the desirability list, but it’s a Packard, and that’s a cool name no matter what. By 1952, Packard was two years away from merging with Studebaker and ultimately disappearing from history completely a few years later. So there’s something there as well.
And one thing’s for sure. If someone fixes this car up and takes it to a car show, it’ll be the only one there.
Speaking of Packard, there is a very interesting short article in the most recent (June 2024) issue of Hemmings Classic Car speculating on how Ford, instead of trying to establish an all-new brand, Edsel, to be slotted above Mercury and below Lincoln in Ford’s brand hierarchy, should simply have bought Packard. So the brand hierarchy would have been Ford, Mercury, Packard, Lincoln. How cool would that have been? No need to establish a reputation for the new brand because Packard already had a reputation that couldn’t be beat.
At the time Ford was bringing out the Edsel, Packard was closing its Detroit plants and was in the process of dying. Ford could have purchased the Packard name and plants for a song and quickly brought new models to market. Imagine how that might have ultimately played out. We might still be able to buy Packard-brand automobiles today.
Automobile manufacturing history is full of what-ifs. This would have been a particularly cool one.
I would be curious how they established an asking price. Presuming they have to get it out of the garage and gone because the owner died or moved to a nursing home or something, they should probably just be happy that someone is willing to give them anything for it and haul it away. I'm sure some of the asking price is based on the Packard name alone.
I looked up the value of a 1952 "25th Series 300" Packard, which was available only as a four-door sedan, in the condition that this car is in, which I would describe as non-running but restorable as opposed to non-running and good only for parts. In that condition (#5 on the Old Cars Price Guide scale), the value shown is $2900. Kind of curious why they bother with two significant figures and don't just say $3,000 even, but whatever. For the next category up, #4, which is running and driving condition but needing full restoration, the value is $4,840. Again, what's with all the significant figures? Why not just $4,800, or just $5,000?. Anyway, this car is priced even above that, so it's definitely overpriced no matter how you look at it.
The estate sales guy standing near the car was encouraging everyone to look it over thoroughly, open all the doors that can be opened, etc. The placard in the window says "OBO," and I'm sure they would take something less to see it gone. No one is going to finance their retirement on the sale of this car, and any money spent on it has long since become a sunk cost, so anything that can be gotten for it is a plus.
I don't know, Jaunty, my guess on the price would be it's completely arbitrary. Just trying to squeeze every last cent out of the sale. My bet would be at the end of the sale, there's a couple people that will come back and inquire as to what they'd be willing to take.
I still stand behind what I said. That car will need everything to be a drivable car. Everything. All rubber parts. All fluids. All brake parts. Etc etc etc.
I am not saying it isn't a cool unique car. I am just saying open your checkbook because it won't be cheap. Very very important to understand when you step into an old car that has been sitting for many years what you are getting. Cashish. Money all day.
Last edited by no1oldsfan; April 14th, 2024 at 11:53 AM.
Here is a very similar 51 Packard that is on Bring A Trailer. Interesting that it is currently at $5,100 and is being sold with no reserve. It came out of a barn but is a running driving car.
Here is a very similar 51 Packard that is on Bring A Trailer. Interesting that it is currently at $5,100 and is being sold with no reserve. It came out of a barn but is a running driving car.
Interesting comparison. This one looks to be in much better shape.
Here is a very similar 51 Packard that is on Bring A Trailer.
Ha! This is way too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence. I'll bet the estate sale people had no idea what price to put on the '52, so they did an internet search, found this car, which is practically the same thing, saw the asking price, and put the same price on their car. The only problem is that they failed to notice the big difference between a complete running and driving car and the semi-heap they're trying to sell.
Interesting. Someone could buy it and use it for parts to fix up the '52 in the garage!
Also interesting is that the current bid on this one is only $2250. I know the auction still has six days to run, so it could go higher. I wonder if it will reach the $5,000 range.
It's also interesting in that we've now seen '51, '52, and '53 Packards, and they all look pretty much the same. I think Packard at the time was having money problems and couldn't afford to retool for new designs as often as the Big Three. As I mentioned earlier, this period was noted as the beginning of the end for Packard. The company's demise probably caught many people by surprise at the time given the brand's long and distinguished history. It probably seemed to most people that Packard would be there forever. But one of the reasons for their end has to be the consolidation in the industry over the decades and the company's inability to offer makes and models in all price ranges the way Ford, Chrysler, and GM could. It was no longer possible to survive selling only high-end cars. The same thing happened to many storied names during the depression (Pierce-Arrown, Duesenberg, Peerless, Cord, and probably more I'm not thinking of). It just took a little longer to catch up with Packard.
Boy, you guys are tough. The people who want one are Packard people. Finding parts is why you join the Packard clubs. Ugliness is only in the eye of the beholder. It looks like a typical early '50s sedan from most any manufacturer.
Boy, you guys are tough. The people who want one are Packard people. Finding parts is why you join the Packard clubs. Ugliness is only in the eye of the beholder. It looks like a typical early '50s sedan from most any manufacturer.
sort of, ugly none the less. Obviously my opinion and the markets as well. 1947-1954 just arent my cup of tea. Packard club sounds cool if it was mid 50’s cars with two doors
It's also interesting in that we've now seen '51, '52, and '53 Packards, and they all look pretty much the same. I think Packard at the time was having money problems and couldn't afford to retool for new designs as often as the Big Three. As I mentioned earlier, this period was noted as the beginning of the end for Packard. The company's demise probably caught many people by surprise at the time given the brand's long and distinguished history. It probably seemed to most people that Packard would be there forever.
Or at least until the merger with Studebaker in October of 1954.
sort of, ugly none the less. Obviously my opinion and the markets as well. 1947-1954 just arent my cup of tea. Packard club sounds cool if it was mid 50’s cars with two doors
Not everybody shares your opinion. And an opinion is exactly what it is.
If you go back and look at history, Packard was probably in better financial condition than Studebaker. This could have been a good fit with Packard being a more upscale car than Studebaker. It was ashamed these two old line car companies failed. Today, they would just declare Chapter 11 and continue in business like most of the car companies have done. I doubt they could have received any government bailout money in the 60's though.
Not everybody shares your opinion. And an opinion is exactly what it is.
If you go back and look at history, Packard was probably in better financial condition than Studebaker. This could have been a good fit with Packard being a more upscale car than Studebaker. It was ashamed these two old line car companies failed. Today, they would just declare Chapter 11 and continue in business like most of the car companies have done. I doubt they could have received any government bailout money in the 60's though.
Reminds me of the old prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I drive my Studebaker across the street,
If I die before I wake,
I pray, dear Lord, put on the brake.
The Packard on BaT sold for $12,250. That is way below restoration costs. This was a very prestigious car in the mid 50's. I would be proud to own this car.
It would make my bucket list, probably somewhere on the second page, but I like orphans! Said the Hudson man, remember at a good show you would show that car in a year range of like cars, if you did good work on it, I could see it taking an award even best of class if done well.... Tedd
Tedd, you and me are old enought to remember when these were very prestigious cars. I only remember a few of them. I would dress up in a double breasted suit, spectator shoes, a wide tie and a fedora to drive this car. Of course me wife would have to dress in the period also. It would be a blast. Hope you are continuing to heal.
April 13th, 2024, 11:37 AM
