February 14, 2023
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. – Officially, this is a 1955 Packard Clipper Deluxe, but the folks at Studebaker-Packard would rather you had just referred to it as a Clipper Deluxe. In an attempt to boost sales of the more luxurious Packards, yet still have a higher-volume (hopefully) medium-priced car to sell, S-P tried marketing the Clipper as a separate make (though not totally, as the miniscule Packard badge on the trunk lid will attest to). In the spirit of the mid-1950s custom of giving special names to hardtop body styles in manufacturers’ lineups, the Clipper Deluxe equivalent two-door hardtop model was badged as the “Constellation… with star-studded styling.” (See below.) It was definitely a bit more sporty-looking, especially with the absence of the rear fender skirts. A lower-priced hardtop equivalent to the Super lineup was called the Panama. Today’s RealRide was photographed at a weekly Tuesday cruise night on Queen Street back in 2017.
Jim Corbran, RRofWNY
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