This 1957 Packard Clipper Country Sedan might be one of the rarest station wagons we have ever featured. Shortly after being purchased by Studebaker, Packard’s sales plummeted and it wasn’t long before the company had to close. In 1957 the company produced around four thousand cars in total and only a fraction were wagons. This one has been the part of an enthusiast’s collection for many years, but is now for sale here on eBay.
Being a Packard meant that this car had to have ample power and offer plenty of features. To give it extra power, the company decided to strap a McCulloch Supercharger to Studebaker’s 289 cui V8. To ensure the wagon was easy to drive, the blower only engaged after the engine hit 3000 rpm. Power was sent to the rear wheels via a Flite-O-Matic Automatic or a column shifted three speed manual with overdrive. This wagon is one of the few to receive the rare manual transmission.
As you can see this car is in rough shape and is going to need a considerable amount of work. Rust is an issue on this wagon, as is the fact that the original 289 has been swapped for a 259 cui V8, but thankfully the seller has another one of these 1957 Clipper Country wagons for sale that has all the parts this one needs. The other car was part of the same collection and can be found here on eBay.
This car doesn’t have the rare manual transmission, but the body is in much better shape. It has dents, dings, and some surface rust, but nothing as serious as the other car. While it still has its original engine, it is missing its supercharger and air intake assembly.
This car could be restored or if one had the funds they could buy both cars and use this one as a donor. It would be sad to see this car parted out, as there were only 869 wagons built, but then again there can’t be more than 80 that came from the factory with the manual transmission. If they both go cheaply enough, one could buy and restore both of them!
Always liked the ’57 Packard and Studes. Love those fins!
Sheesh…..check out the hole in the windshield of the “good” car! You’ll definitely need extra-special-deep pockets to restore BOTH cars, otherwise you buy both of these and use one as a parts car like the article says. Nice finds!
I think it would be worth it. Think of the crowds swarming at the car show of your choice.
Whoever the the enthusiast was, he wasn’t very enthusiastic about preserving or restoring this rare car.
Didn’t know the Packards had the blower option. Google Wagonaire R2 but that is a few years later. I’ll have to research these. Very cool – LOVE wagons.
As a Studebaker fan I can tell you that they were installing blowers in any Stude if you wanted it, but mostly in the Hawks. Some Packard Studes came with them, like the wagons, and especially the Packard hawk.
Packardbakers. The last true Packards were 1956.
~ the ’57 Studebaker was one of the first cars i remember my dad buying. he was ever the fan of Packards, Studebakers and many other orphans. i learned of their quirks and idiosyncrasies long before developing passion for the big three brands. i had not ever known the McCulloch Supercharger didnot operate below 3000 Rs. the tail lights are worth a gob of money to the lead-sled bunch.
The front end grill and bumper look like 57 ish caddy to me. When I was 16 and my father was getting me my first car we came across a stude lark with this blower on a 289, and had a factory 4 spd. but our money was not stacked high enough to get it. always
kept my eye out for one like it, but never found any. found out later it was a very rare car.
Wayne Carini bought a restored Packard wagon last year for $50k but I don’t think it was a blower car. Very nice car and very rare; possibly worth the restoration cost.
This is what you’d expect a dusty group of vampire hunters to drive.
so THIS is what you guys mean when you talk about “patina”? I always wondered. ; )
Yeah …. Wayne Carini paid $50K plus fees and repairs and brought it to auction next year and lost $18K !!
When Wayne sells a car at auction, he fails to mention he PAYS 10% seller fee in hammer price … He typically says “the car brought $50K, but with fees that’s really $55K which is what I expected”..,, Wayne, you PAY 10%, so you realize $45K!