1951 200 Deluxe Club Sedan

Car information

1951 Packard ‘200’ Deluxe Club Sedan (RHD Australian car). The introduction of the 1951 Packards represented perhaps the largest and most dramatic changes in design ever introduced by Packard. Body shape and style was completely changed, and new interior materials were made available. Changes to the engines were significant, with a choice of different compression ratios on some models, up to a new industry high of 7.8 to 1. The lower cowl allowed better visibility. Glass area was dramatically increased, and the Ultramatic became virtually the defacto standard transmission.

Packard’s new president, Hugh J. Ferry, was very proud of the new design, and stated in their 1951 Annual Report: ‘Our current car is, we believe, the best in Packard history and the finest in the industry’. The 1951 cars proved to be very reliable and attracted a lot of positive press.

Many changes had been incorporated in the new models. They were lower by 2inches overall, sleeker, and fast at 95mph for the ‘200’ (- and up to a whopping 110mph for the bigger ‘400’). They handled extremely well, and the Ultramatic transmission received very favourable reviews. The visibility was ‘the best’ amongst contemporary cars, and the luggage space huge at 32-1/2 cubic feet. Testing on the ‘roughs’ at the Proving Ground led to comments such as: ‘She’s taking it like a well-mannered boat in rough water’. Power was exceptionally good and for hill-climbing the car was considered to be virtually unstoppable. Articles written about the ‘51’s were full of superlatives.

The body was much wider than on previous models, with a massive increase of around 12inches in the rear seat compared to many earlier cars. Their lower profile and new look made them appear large and sleek – a good selling point in a market where large cars signified wealth and status.

One problem that was to surface later was that of rust. These new cars were very strong owing to the incorporation of closed ‘box’ sections. However water entered these box sections, eventually leading to rust. This is one of several reasons for the scant number of 1951 cars still in existence, and which is very nearly the lowest survival rate of any Packards produced since 1929: a mere 0.16% of all the approximately 74,614 of 1951 cars built NOTE 1 are still known to exist (viz: about 190 cars). All the more reason to feel happy about saving another ’51 car from oblivion!

We are delighted with our ’51 Club Sedan. There is no area that seems to be deficient in our opinion. It’s a pleasure to drive in every way, and others have said it is a pleasure to see. It’s not an everyday driver, but is used as a fair weather car, enjoyed on occasions when the sun is shining and the open countryside beckons us.

Note 1: From ‘Illustrated Packard Buyers Guide’ by Richard M. Langworth (1991).