It’s hard to believe that Packard made such a fine car as this 1955 Packard Caribbean convertible not long before the whole company closed their doors. These were and still are amazing cars. This car is all original, believe it or not. It popped up on the Barn Finds Classifieds and it’s listed here on eBay with no reserve and a current bid price of $35,400. It’s located in Anderson, California.
Let’s touch on that “all original” part again. We have seen original cars here thousands of times but to see a complicated, luxurious, rare car such as this Caribbean convertible that’s all original right down, or up, to the original convertible top, that’s amazing. The seller “recently acquired this vehicle from an estate sale.” It looks like this car is ready to pull a giant Airstream trailer with that raised rear stance like that. The self-leveling suspension was one of the trouble areas on these cars, hopefully, this one is still in good operating condition. I’m a huge fan of the first year 1953 Caribbean with the full rear wheel openings – but like a pool or pond, anything would be good…
There are no photos showing the entire front of the car which always makes me suspicious but when a person pieces together the partial photos it does look good and complete. I will never understand the way that humans choose to take photos when they’re selling a car, especially such a rare and desirable car as this Caribbean. The “Dagmars” look good (hey!) and the chrome and body, in general, look good. The seller says that this car was purchased “in 1963 at Hollenback Motors Inc. in Spokane Washington and family owned for 55 years. 54040 actual miles and has been in climate controlled storage for over a half a century. It is all original including paint, panels, interior, top, drive train etc.” In case you’re wondering, yes, the tires are from 1963 so please don’t plan on driving this car home unless you live in Anderson, California.
Even with over 50,000 miles on this car, the interior looks like a solid B to me, something that I rarely saw on my report cards in high school. The Caribbean was the ultimate Packard in its day and some might argue that it’s the ultimate Packard, at least of the modern era – if the mid-late-1950s can be seen as being modern. This car is loaded but it appears to lack AC which oddly was an option even on the top of the line offering. The Caribbean was almost $2,000 more expensive than a Cadillac of the same year, which would you rather have?
Now that’s an engine compartment! The plastic-covered engines of today can’t hold a candle to this thing, at least as far as raw brute force goes, or the look of raw brute force. There are many cars today with more horsepower than the 275 that this dual-quad 352 cubic-inch V8 has, but give me this one any day. There isn’t one word given on how this car runs and drives or if it even runs and drives currently. If not, be very afraid of how quickly your checkbook will magically deplete itself. I have a certain 1966 Lincoln experience in mind and trying to keep one of these giant, complicated cars road-worthy isn’t for the faint of heart or wallet. This Caribbean is in a league of its own and the current bid price is less than half of Hagerty’s #3 good value. This can be a six-figure car with some work so this is a car-flipper alert. What are your thoughts on the Packard Caribbean and on this one in particular?
Seems like I just read about this car a few days ago, on another site, maybe? Still, a wonderful example of the styling/color palette/luxury of the “Fab ’50’s!” :-)
UPDATE: It was an owner eBay ad posted on THIS site; it’s a SHAME when your mind goes bad on you, LOL! :-)
Looks like the self-leveling suspension needs some work.
Very cool car, and yes, I’d rather have the Packard than a Cadillac.
It is kind of hard these days to “Ask the man who owns one”.
The Packard Club, is an excellent source, for All things Packard 👍
So, if you don’t know somebody who currently owns a Packard,
The Packard Club would be a great source…
Another thought is to talk with an older friend, of family member.
as they just might be a person ‘Who Owned One’…
In 1954 my Grandfather purchased a gorgeous, one owner 1947 Packard Club Sedan aka Club Coupe, top of the line, 8 Cylinder,
fastback design, black over charcoal silver, with new wide whitewall tires…all the options including visor, fog lights, radio,
spot lights, etc
He purchased this beauty, for my fathers use, as we didn’t have a
family car at the time…the sound of the big 8 Cylinder, was amazing, the design, the ride, the stares and compliments…
All of that for the whopping price of $150.00!!
The Chevy dealership just wanted it gone…just a Used car.
It’s nearly a 65-year-old car that needs everything!
Either you got the money to want it, or your just playing in the sandbox till mom calls you for dinner.
At the left side of the dash, just along the bottom edge is a little black toggle switch. It turns the levelizer system on & off. I have found over the years those who are not familiar with the ’55 – ’56 packards often didn’t realize that flipping the switch [and waiting for the 7-second delay to kick in] would cause the car to automatically level itself!
I remember one customer who said he flipped that switch from side to side many times, but nothing ever happened. I flipped the switch and said “just wait”, and in seconds it began leveling.
They ought to get the front end up to make it level.
I think the word “original” gets used too much.
If this was an estate sale, the purchaser doesn’t know what happened to the car before he bought it and the owner died so he wasn’t telling stories.
You can’t call the tires original as they wouldn’t have been the originals from 1955 with 50K on them and being 8 years old.
Who knows how many times the top was replaced between the time it was purchased and the time it was parked.
People should look at the car as it is and forget about the back story, to an extent, to see if it is what they want.
Educate yourself Miguel about survivors, original cars and preservation class vehicles. There are dozens of articles online. Here is one…
https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/Articles/2010/09/02/Its-Only-Original-Once
I know all about of what I speak.
I am going off what is in the write up.
I know how convertible tops wear when they are out in the elements, therefore I doubt this is the original.
Also the tires are not original as they would have been changed for the miles and the time.
What do you want me to educate myself about exactly?
Packard Afficianado; Why do you persist with these boy-men? If one knows what this car is about and has the $$ to play, they will definitely not bother a sell with silly pointless questions. As the Sufi wiseman says; You can lead them to wisdom but you can’t make them think.
The car was not “out in the elements”. It clearly says it was parked in a climate controlled storage for 50 years.
The car was used as a regular car for 13 years then.
What do you think happens to a convertible top during 13 years in the weather?
I am just saying the current owner of the car does not know what is original on this car and what is not, but you guys can believe whatever you want.
Silly argument people. The brake pads aren’t original either. Duh. Likely parts of the exhaust might have been replaced. And most definitely the gas filter. So much for original, right? But by all means keep rattling those “I know what I’m talking about” sabres. Rock on!
Read the ad.
The current owner claims things are original. That word had a meaning.
He has no idea what is original and what is not.
After buying a couple hundred classic cars over my lifetime, yes I do know what I am talking about.
What a boat! But, I never really liked them that much. Packard was on the way out. Their popularity was waning. My father insisted they were terrific cars. Ok, Dad. You might be right. Today, I think it is a pleasure to find and lost them.
To my eye, the ‘54 Caribbean had it all over the ‘55. Another Bucket List car I am running out time to own.
Thanks all the same but I’ll have the 39 Lincoln Zephyr.
Very nice car. Actually, I believe the Packard system worked better than most. Electric motors that turned torsion bars, clearly there’s a problem with this one. They threw everything they had in this car, should have saved the company, but too late. History through the roof, the last of the “real” Packards. Sad end to one of the greatest car makers.
They were better than most, the front torsion bars run the length of the car, and the rears are connected to the fronts. Any time you jack up the car without power to the leveling motor, you end up with the odd angle shown in the picture. The leveling motor checks every 7 seconds and corrects the angle, unless your foot is on the brake. Trailing arms and watts link in the rear. Unequal length A arms up front. You could do a lot worse, handling wise, in the 50’s…
On Youtube there is a video of a test by Packard where a Torsion-level Packard, a Lincoln, and a Cadillac are all driven over a severe railroad crossing in downtown Detroit in early 1955. Packard sailed over the crossing, both the other cars had front & rear bumpers striking the pavement, and as I recall, a dented oil pan in the Lincoln.
I’ve owned several Torsion-level Packard cars, and the suspension is incredible, even by today’s standards. In 2018 it takes a computer control system and many sensors, along with $2,000 struts filled with special metallic oils, to match what the V8 Packards were able to do.
Geez! Wonder if it has a “clean” title or not?!
When I was a kid growing up in the Bronx we had our stick ball games and the fenders of cars was our dugout/bench. One guy in the neighborhood had a Green & white 2 Dr. That resembled this body style . When we sat on the fender we’d hear a electric motor click on and the car would rise up. Came to find out the owner of that beautiful Packard was a good friend of my ” Uncle ” & that car was off limits as our bench.
Amazing car, I’d love to own it but as others have said it may have lots of unknown (and expensive) issues.
Addressing the statement that there are no pics of the front end, there really are a ton of pics, including the front, found on the link the seller provides in the eBay listing… some of them are oddly very low-res.
https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1078789/1955-packard-caribbean-for-sale-in-anderson-california-96007
As they say; don’t play unless you expect to pay.
This has to be one of the ugliest cars ever made.
And we’re sure your mother taught you to believe that about everything.
Just curious…Is this Mercedes E320 Cabriolet, Available for Purchase?? We have had an appreciation for this model since
were introduced in 1993…I still have the Presentation booklet,
and the literature for them from Introduction thru the last year of
Production, 1995.
Is this a Specal Order Edition, hence the Red leather, AMG Rims,
and specia badging on the front fender??
Look forward to your Reply…Thanks much.
Hey, Denny. Good Morning. Hope your Weekend starting off right. About the Cabriolet. Yes it is available. Actually, is a little more special than the standard North American distributed, base E320. It is quite rare, and though officially unverified there is enough circumstantial as well as documented evidence to surmise this 320CE Sportline/AMG cabriolet is; in all likelihood, a one-off Daimler-Benz special order with post-production modifications through, then pre-merger AMG. Though, this particular cab had no E36 installed as part of the post-production modifications it did receive everything the legacy customer who ordered it got. I will also tell you it has had a rather colorful and some would say unforgiving history. But I can tell you that I am not embarrassed to say I saved it from being crushed and spent nearly $35k USD to acheive Daimler rarely bestowed factory Certification of Compliance. I have a firm standing offer from the Mercedes-Benz Museum of $45K if unsold for more within the next nine months. So I am looking for the best highest offer above that. The car can be inspected and driven by appointment. It is 15 minutes from LAX and 30 minutes from Long Beach/L.A. Harbor. For all offers above $50K I will arrange free enclosed shipping to any destination within the Lower 48 Continental United States. rballccc (at) gmail dot com or 424 210 0084. Thank you for inquiring. It is a very special vehicle. Everything works and looks as it should. – Rick
no wonder they went outta business. Probably on each’n every sale, that thing’s an amazing aircraft carrier! 2K more than the contemporary caddy still wouldn’t cover all the lill do dads (inc air ride suspension).
Luv 2 C a ‘flow chart’ of how the last decades (’50s – 70s) or so of auto manafacturers shrunk down to the big 3. ( Crosley, Kiser, Wilies, Nash, Hudson, Packard, AMC R all I can remember of that era).
Amazing! And just as brilliant as any under-40, armchair so-called expert of automotive history should be expected to remark.
OK guys, which would you rather have. The featured car or this lime green 1950?
Here is the back end.
Miguel, looks like they ran out of green metallic paint but found some left over browny gold stuff in a can on the shelf so finished it off with that. Not a good color combination in my book! It’s either green or gold but not both, yuck, oh, and I’ll take the featured car any day rather than that thing !
The colors are reminiscent of the old black/red and white and chrome dining tables of the same era. Very cool Packard.
I’ll stick with the featured car. Just a personal choice as I think the other looks like a Palmetto bug. But even with that, it’s a dang bern pretty Palmetto bug!
lattig-derik says I know a guy whose Grandfather died, he had 4 of these near San Antonio and they literally gave them away a few years back, just to get the garage cleared out!
I owned a 55′ four hundred coupe bck in the early 60’s. Faster than my buddy’s 62′ Olds Starfire, my other friend’s 55 Merc Monterey and broke a lot less than either. Rode smoother than anything else at the time, and withstood dozens of illegal drag races against anything and everything. Didn’t always win, Those 57′ Chevy’s with fuel injection were fierce as were the early six -pak Pontiacs. A great looking cruiser and the trick suspension was a hoot.