Packard’s Popular Patrician
The 1956 Packard Patrician
Packard produced only one four-door Senior Sedan in 1956 and that was the Patrician. Its factory introduction was held on November 3, 1955.
The Patrician’s body styling included a redesigned grille that had a mesh-type insert with a gridwork of vertical and horizontal chrome bars placed against it. The headlight hoods were extended to give a brow look. And, the bumper guards were moved directly under the headlights.
Its Twin-Ultramatic transmission offered an electronic push-button selector mounted on the steering column.
John Zachary Delorean
Packard hired John Zachary Delorean to help develop the automatic Ultramatic transmission. An avid car enthusiast, he was a new engineer at that time.
John Zachary Delorean
In his own words:
“My first job at Packard involved helping in the development of an automatic transmission called the Ultramatic. This was a wonderful opportunity for a new engineer because no one there understood exactly what to do. Their first transmission was a copy of a Buick Dynaflow with minor variations; now they wanted a shifting transmission.
We were pioneering new territory for Packard, and this placed both the experienced personnel and those of us fresh out of school on an equal footing. Challenged by the opportunity, I literally spent day and night thinking about the various technical problems related to the transmission, the hydraulic controls, and the other facets of the unit.
At one point I had a terrible time designing the complex hydraulic-control circuit for the transmission. Suddenly, inspiration came at four in the morning! I got out of bed, went downstairs, and spent the next five hours sketching out the design. It worked perfectly and was incorporated, virtually unchanged, into the final product.”
This 1956 Packard Commercial of the Patrician gives wonderful detail and explains the Ultramatic.
The Patrician also came equipped with power brakes, and a powerful Packard V-8 engine. For $4,160 it was the most popular and least expensive selling vehicle among Packard’s Senior models.
The 1956 Patrician is also very special for being manufactured during the last year of truly Packard-built vehicles. An estimated 3,775 Packard Patricians were built.
The End of an Era
Despite the engineering success of the non-slip differential being the first important advancement in the field for more than 30 years, the Studebaker – Packard Corporation suffered financial losses. This led to the closing of its plant in Detroit which, in turn, created even more loss for the company.
In the end, 1,443 Packard employees were laid off and all operations were consolidated at Studebaker’s South Bend, Indiana facilities.
The Packard Patrician Raffle: A Unique Opportunity
We hope you agree that the 1956 Packard Patrician is a car worthy to be prized and cherished because we are giving one away! A blue and white 1956 Packard Patrician is up for raffle until the day of our Open House on October 20, 2024. The money raised from this raffle will greatly help with the restoration efforts of the Packard Proving Grounds. With only 99 of these being known to exist, we hope you take your chance on winning this special vehicle. Your support is greatly appreciated.
You can purchase your tickets from our website
