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You’ll be green with envy if someone else ends up with this gorgeous 1953 Packard Caribbean.
Caribbean Cool
Automotive history is littered with once glorious nameplates now faded into obscurity. One such name is Packard. Founded in 1899, the luxury carmaker was once a Detroit automotive titan that vied with the likes of Cadillac, Buick, and Lincoln. Prewar cars like the Twin-Six and the Eight Series were the height of technology and sophistication in their day. The company weathered the Great Depression much better than competitors like Stutz and Duesenberg and emerged from WWII in a solid financial position when many other companies were struggling to find their footing.
But the good times didn’t last and by the early 1950s, Packard was on the verge of collapse. It was in their period that Packard executives sought a new halo car that could revive a brand many considered old-fashioned. That car was the Packard Caribbean, today’s Cool Car Find. Our example is an eye-catching Gulf Green Metallic 1953 Caribbean in impeccable condition. Its rarity and uniqueness make it a great collector’s car. Here’s a little background on what makes the Caribbean so compelling.
Design and Specs
Debuting in 1952 for the ’53 model year, the Caribbean was pitched as a “sports car,” a term much divorced from today’s parlance. In actuality, the Caribbean was a large, opulent two-door in the same vein as the Cadillac Series 62 and the Buick Skylark, what today we would call a land yacht. Coming in coupe or convertible, the Caribbean’s stunning good looks were penned by the young designer Dick Teague. (Teague would later go onto design all of AMC’s major nameplates from the Pacer and Gremlin, to the AMX and the Eagle.) The Caribbean, like many luxury cars of the day, offers a number of distinctive flourishes that included a full-length chrome band which widened over the wheels and accentuated the arches, a leaded hood scoop, the wide hipped rear fenders, and a tasteful outboard spare tire is mounted on the rear bumper.
Under the hood was Packard’s 327 cu in Thunderbolt straight-eight. The engine was smooth, provided good torque, and decent gas mileage. Yet this engine was one of the main reasons the Caribbean was considered behind the times, having been in use by Packard going back to the 1920s while most companies had long moved on to V8s.
Still, the Caribbean had many virtues. Options included power windows, Easeamatic power brakes, the Ultramatic two-speed automatic transmission, and a widow de-froster. Leather upholstery came standard. The Packard Caribbean was sold at an MSRP of $5,210, some $1,000 more than the Cadillac Series 62.
The Final Years
The Caribbean failed to pull Packard back from the brink and the company merged with Studebaker in 1954. A redesign arrived for the Caribbean in 1955. Again designed by Teague, the new Caribbean featured an egg crate grille with a massive emblem (whereas the earlier version had been nearly devoid of badging), there were now two small non-functional hood scoops, a pair of radio antennae up cropping from the modest tailfins, and most notable, a new tri-color paint scheme separated by running lines of chrome. The Caribbean came with two-sided upholstery cushions, white cloth for daytime driving and black leather for sophisticated night driving.
In addition to the innovative design, there was finally a 352 cu in V8 engine under the hood, making a stout 275 horsepower. A new self-leveling torsion bar suspension made for a glass-smooth ride. An updated Twin-Ultramatic transmission was also added.
Even with the updates, the Caribbean’s sales continued to slide southward along with the rest of the brand. The final year of production was 1956 for both the Caribbean and Packard itself. That year a larger 374 cu in V8 was offered, and the Ultramatic was offered with push-button controls. The 1956 Caribbean was offered for between $5,500 and $6,000.
The Caribbean sold a total of 2,189 units across its brief stint atop Packard’s lineup. The Caribbean was Packard’s swan song, a great car still able to bestir the hearts of collectors and car nuts today thanks to its unique history and stunning good looks.
