Although the last production Packard rolled off the assembly line in 1958, the storied nameplate has a shimmering hope of a revival as the American marque is now up for sale. The Packard name, engineering designs, tools, parts and even a 1998 prototype car are up for sale for a cool $1.5 million.
Roy and Barbara Gullickson are the proud owners of Packard but the couple is selling the brand in hopes that the marque can once again be brought back to glory. “There’s a certain aura to the name and a good bit of nostalgia,” Roy Gullickson, Packard Motor Car Co. president, told Automotive News. “We sure would like to see someone bring the Packard name back into the marketplace.” Gullickson purchased Packard in 1995.
In addition to the Packard name and all the rights that come along with it, the sale also includes a 1998 Packard prototype, dubbed the Packard Twelve (pictured). Gullickson built the Twelve – which is named for its 12-cylinder engine — with the hopes of snagging an investor’s interest to bring the car to market, but the car’s ‘interesting’ looks have prevented any production plans.
Four companies – including one from the U.S. – have reportedly expressed interest in Packard, but no deal has been reached. If the Packard nameplate does eventually resume production, quantities would likely be limited to 100 units per year with the intent of rivaling the likes of Bentley and Rolls Royce.
08/06, 11:47 AM
posted by:
beatusmongous
Very nice news indeed.
08/06, 12:02 PM
posted by:
jumpoffit
everyone on this board should pitch in, we could all own a piece of this and make our own cars since we think all other companies suck
08/06, 12:32 PM
posted by:
JetmanOTC
hopefully this isn’t like Hot Hod’s April fools joke they did about AMG coming back.
08/06, 12:33 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
Yeah, but then no car would ever be made, because we all have different ideas on what makes a good car.
However, we could very well have an interesting lineup of completely different cars…
08/06, 12:42 PM
posted by:
tastyorange
Is that a Bonneville bumper with Acura RSX headlights on a 1976 Century body with 1991 Town Car coral colored paint???
08/06, 12:47 PM
posted by:
jumpoffit
aww come on beat, Hemi could design them and iHustle could go out and sell them
– we would all be members of the board and Ktulu would be our CEO and public relations
08/06, 12:48 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
I’d rather have Ktulu be our secretary or scribe, since he has such a way with words…
08/06, 12:51 PM
posted by:
xyunya
Actually the Twelve in the picture looks better them most current offerings.
08/06, 12:52 PM
posted by:
krautninja
^^ lol i second that, ktulu for secretary ..not sure about hemi for design chief but ihustle can definitely hustle his ass off at our dealership…2 thumbs go
08/06, 12:52 PM
posted by:
jonmiles
Please build them in Philadelphia
08/06, 12:56 PM
posted by:
TOZO
If those guys can get $1.5 from Packard, GM might be able to fetch something fro Geo and Oldsmobile. But, if they are sold, a company might actually make new versions of those cars, and that would suck.
08/06, 2:29 PM
posted by:
Blakkarr
Looks strange but promising. Might be the pinkish color.
Still Packard… That alone could sell more than 100 units a year.
08/06, 5:02 PM
posted by:
TomF
That Packard prototype looks like Lady Penelope’s car in the old “Thunderbirds” marionette TV series.
I don’t think reviving the golden age of twelve-cylinder motoring is a very timely idea now that cheap is chic… and conspicuous consumers of too much fuel are becoming public targets. If vigilantes deface H2s with keys these days, imagine what they’d do to the Packard 12.
Philadelphia? You wouldn’t dare STOP one in Philadelphia, let alone build one.
08/06, 5:14 PM
posted by:
Madcapp
I thought Duesenberg was supposed to be coming back too.
08/06, 6:39 PM
posted by:
JetmanOTC
Sorry I meant AMC not AMG.
08/06, 10:28 PM
posted by:
maxcar
eBay it.
08/06, 10:40 PM
posted by:
jayjc08
Haha. Yeah guys, let’s all pitch in about a grand, and we can officially report our own quarterly earnings under LLN!
“Packard, now sold to the LLN comment board, will be making a serious come back into the automotive world…”
It’ll be the jewel of LLN twenty years down the road, after we buy up MG from the Chinese, Vanden Plas from Ford and Triumph from BMW. We could have our own little luxury line, all designed and produced by the LLN comment board!
Madcapp- There hasn’t been a single word about Duesenburg aside from at Barrett-Jackson.
jumpoffit- Yeah, the LLN management team.
Hemi- Head designer
iHustle- Lead Salesperson
johnnycannuck- Public relations
beatusmongus- Product placement
tripleonefive- Sales person of the brainwashing communist type.
inline6, Blakkar- Product management, engineering
Anybody else interested? Got a little carried a way there…
08/07, 12:52 AM
posted by:
beatusmongous
LMAO! I love the role chosen for me. Very clever! Thanks.
08/07, 1:48 AM
posted by:
zoomzoomer
LOL.. sure, LLN thinks the looks are “interesting”, but obviously DaimlerChrysler thought it was pretty good since they practically duplicated it with their Imperial concept a few years back.. nearly 10 years after this Packard prototype!
08/07, 3:44 PM
posted by:
inline6
I LOVE Packard. I have read many books on the manufacturer’s history and often think about what might have been if Packard jumped aboard the Nash-Hudson merger to form American Motors in ‘54. That was the plan all along.
But a well-run, if moribund Packard merged with a Studebaker that was run so poorly no one knew their break-even point until after Packard bought ‘em out. And once Romney was running AMC, with Nance at the helm of S-P, merger possibilities vanished in the political fight as to which dynamic personality would lead the company.
Packard died earlier than Studebaker (in ‘58 versus ‘66) because the board believed that Studebaker stood a better chance at survival because of their higher sales volumes, and no one cared to continue bastardizing the proud Packard name by continuing to re-trim Studebakers.
Had Nash, Hudson, and Packard merged, they’d probably still be alive today. I hope someone buys the Packard name and turns the company into an American Rolls-Royce, and not just another cottage industry neo-classic manufacturer like Avanti was from 1965-92.
08/07, 5:13 PM
posted by:
zoomnbyu
Wow. The chassis is kind of stunning (checked it out on the web). Nothing against nostalgia, but sheesh this car is ugly. There would be such a limited market for a new Packard that it could never be profitable. Better off resurrecting the Avanti(again!).