Before and After – The Sad Story of the Packard Plant

[t-head]

We have put together a post on The Old Motor using photos above from the Detroit Free Press showing the past and the sad state of
affairs at the Packard Plant today. The situation that whole complex is in, remains very serious and it now appears that the great
majority of it may end up being razed. Take the time to stop by and see many more photos of the plant at its prosperous times and
today, close to death after being taken off of life support.


You can also see the many incredible photos and a video that we have linked on the Detroit Free Press website that YOU NEED TO SEE.

[Fibber Mcgee]

That's enough to make you sick.

[TJ]

Looks like most places in Detroit. Very unfortunate.

[V12Bill]

Looks like any other formerly industrial city in the US.

[2935ford]

Let's manufacture everything offshore........

[Ken Crans]

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You wouldn't believe it if you'd seen it. Just like the first pic from the Free Press. It's awful down there.Looks like a bomb went off.. And to think of all the homeless people that live inside that complex. Just like "Escape from New York". Sad real sad! That plant employed alot of people to make Detroit what it is today.

[Fibber Mcgee]

Originally Posted by 2935ford

Let's manufacture everything offshore........

That says it all. Our FORMER industrial strength is what made us the most powerful nation in the world and we sold it off to make a little more profit.

[Vic Piano]

Packard was one of the automobile manufacturers that lasted through the depression. Like Ford, G.M., Chrysler and Studebaker. And, like the aforementioned manufacturers, Packard tried to expand its product line to include medium and low priced cars, just prior to, and following, WWII. In 1955 Packard merged with Studebaker however, the companies were in bad shape financially, Studebaker phased out Packard in the late '50's and ultimately both companies went out of business. Nothing to do with Packard but, there was a Studebaker assembly plant built in South Bend in 1903 to celebrate Studebaker's 100 Anniversary (they built wagons before cars). The building was razed several years ago and the post & beam wood was purchased and milled into tongue and groove flooring. So, we bought enough of it to clad the floor in our "game room" on the new house.

[jkeesey]

At least you kept a piece of it alive Vic

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by jkeesey

At least you kept a piece of it alive Vic

Thanks, I hope so, I'm going to have the installer do an inlay of the Studebaker lazy S logo in the floor, should look cool. My wife is from South Bend so; we've got two Studebakers, a '55 Speedster and a '63 Avanti, in with the Fords & Lincolns...

[jkeesey]

The first old car I ever worked on was my dads 39 Studebaker Champ and ive got a 53 Commander starliner patiently waiting outside my shop for some tender loving care.

[Vic Piano]

When I was in High School (in the '60's) and had my '48 Ford TuDor, one of my sister's friends dad had a '53 Studebaker Coupe that he gave to me however, my father would not let me keep it, he told me I didn't need two cars! I told him "he had two cars, why couldn't I". That was a mistake on my part... LOL

[Bruce/CT]

Vic,
Did you leave that discussion with all 32 teeth?
Bruce

[Vic Piano]

Bruce, I did however, I was bruised in other ways... I really wanted that Studebaker... Later that same year (1966) I had an opportunity to buy a '58 Edsel Citation Convertible but, I needed to borrow a few hundred dollars from my dad, to cover the cost. When he found out that it was an Edsel... he refused to loan me the money...

[estout81]

Vic,
Funny you mentioned the Edsel! I bought one just like the one you mentioned in '63. It was bronze and black with a white top and bronze and white interior. Realy liked that car! My ex-wife totaled it in '66! Now you know why she's my ex!

[Vic Piano]

My ex wife never liked any of my old cars... she's gone and the cars I had are still here and, I've added to the collection with the help of my second (got it right this time) wife, she's the Studebaker fan.

[Chris Nelson]

We all had cars that we wish we still had. My first car I bought for $25.00 was a 1930 Packard 740 sedan with twin sidemounts and a trunk rack and jump seats. It ran great and I sold it to the junk man for $25.00. Or the 41 Ford business coupe that was chopped, channeled and sectioned that I sold for $15.00. There were more, but I can't stand to think about it.

[richard crow]

packard & studebaker & nash all went out of bus after the war because there cars were junk. you would be hard presed to find a car as ugley as a 49-51 packard. when studebaker started making nice cars again it was to late.

[Vic Piano]

Richard, did you ever do a side by side comparison of a '49 to '51 Packard and the same years Lincoln & Mercury? I don't think any of them were “ugly” and they certainly weren't "junk"... they were just as well built as any Ford, G.M. or Chrysler product of the time. They were, in fact, victims of (among other things), bad management and poor cash position. As a result, they were unable to promote and secure a large enough market share to sustain continued production. In the case of Studebaker, they were the first automobile manufacturer to introduce a completely new car in ’46, while Ford, G.M. and Chrysler were building warmed over ’42 models. In the late ‘50’s Studebaker once again turned to Raymond Loewy, to design the Avanti, which they hoped would put them on more solid footing in the market, with the offering of a "luxury sports car". Initially, the Avanti was to be built with a steel body however, the company did not have enough reserve cash to produce the stampings for the steel body. As a result, all the '62 prototypes and all '63 and '64 Studebaker Avanti bodies were fiberglass. In '62, Andy Granatelli broke a bunch of speed records with an Avanti with a supercharged Studebaker 289 c.i. V8. The Avanti design received tremendous accolades from the automotive press ( as did the '46-'48 Studebakers)and the Avanti was the fastest American Production car built in '63, hardly a piece of “junk”.

[4t8v8]

In 1955 my grandfather bought a new car and gave me his 1940 Studebaker Commander coupe. I beat that poor car terribly and it just kept coming back for more. I outran more than a few flathead fords with it. It was anything but junk. Of all my cars through the years that is the one I wish I still had over all the rest.