A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2016, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Car Collector Chronicles ®
Volume IX, Issue 12
Exploring:
Ca
Car Collecting Today
High RPMs
Classic Rides Reports From the Field Oldsmobile (1897-2004) Cadillac (1902- ) Allanté (1987-1993)
Corvair (1960-1969)
◄ = Clickable Link
IN THIS ISSUE: High RPMs
1
Worst Nightmare!
2
A Look Back
3
Packard Death Throes
3
Well, we have survived, so far, the fiasco of the presidential election. Thanksgiving is now behind us and the joy of Christmas awaits us. Then we have the events of 2017 to look forward to. It should prove to be an interesting year, to say the least! What with the end of 2016 and the coming of 2017, I thought that this month we would take both a look back and a look forward in time. For those who have not seen or heard of it, we shall also present info on a car collectors worst nightmare. As that nightmare involves a Packard, it seems apropos to take a look at some other Packard related matter. We indeed shall do just that. Our December 2016 issue concludes the ninth calendar year in which CCC® has been in print.
Find GDYNets on the web:
CCC® Forum EMail:
◄
OldsD88@gmail.com ◄
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December Automotive Milestones 2-1927 1st Model A Ford 7-1931 Last Model A 7-1950 Buick builds its sixmillionth car 8-1861 William Durant born, Boston, MA 9-1963 Last Studebaker 13-1939 1st production Lincoln Continental 15-1861 Charles Duryea born, Canton, IL 17-1791 NYC creates 1st one-way street 20-1868 Harvey Firestone born, Columbia County, OH 20-1892 Pneumatic automobile tire patented 20-1951 Sears, Roebuck & Co. debuts Kaiser-built Allstate 22-1900 1st car bearing "Mercedes" name is delivered to buyer, Emil Jellinek 29-1800 Charles Goodyear born, New Haven, CT 30-1936 United Auto Workers strike at Fisher Body Plant
- A Very Merry Xmas!
GDYNets® on the Web ®
Pics to Ponder (Xmas Cars)
December 2016
s
CCC -THE FORUM ◄-A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars. Car Collector Chronicles® ◄ Saved 62 ◄-Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. The Gray Lady ◄-1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site.
SAVED 62: A website devoted
to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobile cars and the company founder, Ransom Eli Olds.
THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.
DAVE’S DEN: ◄-A site devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.
Car Collector Chronicles
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Worst Nightmare!
“Divers have to be called in to attach tow
When I first learned of this, I wanted to cry. I just cannot imagine a more tormenting scenario. You receive an invite to display your ride at the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance at Port Royal Plantation. The fact that you happen to own a 1938 Packard 1605 Super Eight convertible sedan, and that it is the only pre-war convertible with a hard top, just may have something to do with receipt of the invite? Being a car buff you happen to own 62 other Packards, but this baby is 1-of-1. You ship your million dollar ride to Hilton Head and proudly put her on the show field. Even though you are a renowned collector, you are more than anxious as the judges go over your car with a fine toothed comb. When all is said and done you have been awarded a Best of Class. You may now breathe easy while awaiting the Best of Show competition. It has been a pretty good weekend, so far. Time to relax and have a beverage of choice. While imbibing a bit of refreshment your ride develops a mind of its own and decides to take a little trip. Unfortunately, that trip is a short one, without power, in reverse, right into a lagoon! Bystanders undertake a valiant effort to head off the pending disaster. However, the weight of the car, the slope of the ground and the leather-soled dress shoes of the volunteers all combine to nullify their best efforts. Divers have to be called in to attach tow cables to your treasured car so that it may be retrieved from the drink.
cables to your treasured car so that it may
Watch it here https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=gq4antm-6OY ◄
be retrieved from the drink.”
Unfortunately, this is the fate that befell Ralph Marano of NJ, on Sunday, 6 Nov. Surprisingly, Marano bore up to the disaster quite well. Even though restoration of this rare car had just recently been completed, he vowed to start the process all over again. Good for him! This is another of those incidents where I wonder who is the insurance company? I would love to see the repair estimates and claim check(s) paid out in settlement!
Car Collector Chronicles
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A Look Back While researching this month’s issue I ran across this 1955 quote from Robert S. McNamara, then G.M. of Ford Motor Co., which I found interesting: The test of your generation will not be how well you stood up under adversity, but how well you endured prosperity. From my perspective 60 + years later, the current state of the world is such as to justify questioning just how well we met that challenge. Males of my generation need no reminder as to who McNamara was. For all you youngsters out there, in addition to being the “Father of the Falcon” while at Ford (reportedly, in 1957 he drew up the specs for the car on the back of a church program while attending Sunday services), McNamara served Presidents Kennedy and Johnson as Secretary of Defense during the early years of the Vietnam War. The 50s were good to U.S. automobile manufacturers. In 1951, 73% of American households owned cars, 59% of workers used their cars to travel to work, and 68% of a l l cars were used for this purpose. 85% of inter-city travel was in private cars. As cars increased in size, some of Detroit’s larger models began to break the bound of the envelopes designed to hold them. Cadillacs began to take up two parking-meter spaces. Many cars were now too large to fit in the garages of homes built between the wars. Remember knock/bump outs in garage back walls? It got to the point that by the late 50s may states began legislating maximum widths for cars. 1958 also happened to be the year the car bubble burst. As new car sales took a dive the length of time owners held on to their newly purchased cars increased. Simultaneous with this trend, foreign cars began to make a noticeable dent in the market. Volkswagen inroads are what led to the introduction of the Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair and Plymouth Valiant. All of this is by way of background to a discussion of the death throes of Packard.
Packard Death Throes 1954 saw the coming together of Packard and Studebaker. The merger was an effort on the part of Packard to avoid termination of operations. It was hoped access to the Studebaker dealer network would revive its sales. The fate it sought to avoid with this merger came about a mere 5 years later. Before giving up the ghost however, Packard went out on a limb with the presentation to the motoring public at the Chicago Auto Show in 1956 of the Packard Predictor, a Ghia built concept car which Packard hoped to produce. The Predictor was ill-named, as it did not show the way to future sales. The car was 18 and 1/2 feet long. The length bested Cadillac by a half-foot. With 10 inch thick doors tipping the scales at 200 lbs., the Predictor weighed in at 3 ton. That bested Cadillac by a half-ton. The car cost financially strapped Packard $70K to produce; $613,080.80 2016 dollars. Some of its outstanding features were concealed quad headlamps, a variation on the trademark oxbow grille, minimal exterior chrome trim and a massive rear bumper with chamfered anterior exhaust ports. Their purpose was to direct noxious exhaust fumes away from car drivers trailing behind. The two most outstanding features of the car were the retractable roof panels and the cantilevered rear window. The roof panels retracted automatically whenever the door was opened. This feature made entry/exit easier. Additionally, the panels could be opened for increased ventilation while driving. Likewise with the back win-
“Cadillacs began to take up two parkingmeter spaces. Many cars were now too large to fit in the garages of homes built between the wars.”
Car Collector Chronicles
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Packard Death Throes—Cont’d. dow. It could be partially lowered. The cockpit featured swivel seats and a maze of pushbuttons to control the roof panels, rear window, side windows, automatic transmission and who knows what else.
The public liked what they saw. So did Packard. It incorporated many of the Predictor features into a 1957 mock up, known as Black Bess. Black Bess was used by Packard in its sales pitch to Wall Street financiers to try and obtain operating funds. It found no buyers.
The Curtiss-Wright Corp. came along and extended a seemingly helping hand. It exerted control and in 1958 closed down Packard assembly operations in Detroit, marking the beginning of the end. Interestingly, the final two Packard vehicles produced in Detroit were not cars at all. Rather they were trucks, which were exported to Argentina. Here are some lesser known Packard facts: During the First World War, Packard played a key role both in the design and the production of the Liberty L-12 engine. Between the wars, Packard built one of the world's first diesel aviation engines, the 225-hp DR-980 radial. It powered the Stinson SM-8D, among others. It also powered a Bellanca CH300 on a record endurance flight of over 84 hours, a record that stood for more than 50 years. The B-47 bomber was powered by Packard-built jet engines. A listing of all Packard Motor Car aircraft engines is available online. ◄ The Predictor did lead the way in terms of some of its styling features. They are found on the 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser and 1958 Continental Mark III (rear window), the 1963 Corvette (hidden headlights) and the pronounced proboscis nose/grille (Edsel and Pontiac).
Car Collector Chronicles
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Pics to Ponder (Xmas Cars)
Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com.
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-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE:
The look forward which I mentioned in High RPMs, but never got to this month
TBD