1948 Packard 2-Door Club Sedan
Engine: Inline 8
Displacement: 288 Cubic Inches
Horsepower: 130 BHP
Cost New: $2,250
         Packard rolled off the first of their all-new post-war designs in 1948. Removing all traces of a fender line resulted in a slab-sided, "free-flow" body design with very sleek and flowing lines. It seemed that people either loved or hated the new look. Tom McCahill announced the new Packards a "goat" and a "dowager in a Queen Mary hat." Many referred to the new look as a "pregnant elephant" but the 1948 Packard also won many design awards, including the New York Fashion Academy's "Fashion Car of the Year."
         Since its beginning in 1899, Packard was considered one of the marquee American automobile companies, but they were beginning to show signs of mismanagement. Instead of returning to their luxury roots, Packard focused more on the mid-priced market. By 1948, the company was no longer the status symbol it once was, and was quickly falling behind the times. The smaller automobile makes were having a harder and harder time keeping up with the Big Three in sales and design. The public was looking for crisper lines with more chrome, and Packard was not the look they wanted. Resale values plummeted in the early 1950s for these early post-war Packards.