1956 Packard 400 2-Door Hardtop
2024.0034.0001, Savoy Collection
Engine: 374 cu. in. (6L) Cast iron block, OHV, V-8
Output: 290 HP @ 4,600 RPM
Transmission: Push-button Ultramatic Automatic
Wheelbase: 127 in.
Overall Length: 218 in.
Weight: 4,290 lbs.
Top Speed: Unknown
No. Produced: 3,224
Original Price: $4,190
Manufacturer: Packard
In the fall of 1981, the original owner stored the car, intending to retrieve it in the spring. Twenty-six years later, he died, and it was still there. Robert Kipping purchased this car from eBay Motors and embarked on a three-year frame-up restoration process. Having work done right is worth the wait and expense. His effort was richly rewarded when his Packard 400 won Best in Class at the 2011 Concours d’Elegance at Hilton Head.
Packard vehicles were known for solid engineering and superior materials. To date, no other American manufacturer, including Cadillac, has matched Packard’s long record of producing exceptional automobiles. Unfortunately, in post-WWII America, consumers assumed that cars were mechanically sound and focused their attention on styling. Packard’s unwillingness to make the cosmetic changes customers craved was one of the primary reasons for the company’s downfall.