Packard Station Sedan

Motor vehicle

Packard Station Sedan
1948 Packard Station Sedan
Overview
Manufacturer	Packard
Production	1948–1950
Assembly	Packard Automotive Plant, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door luxury station wagon
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related	Packard Eight (1946-1950)
Powertrain
Engine	288 cu in (4.7 L) I8
Transmission	3-speed manual Ultramatic (1950)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	120 in (3,048 mm)^[1]
Length	204.7 in (5,199 mm)
Width	77.5 in (1,968 mm)
Height	64.1 in (1,628 mm)
Curb weight	4,075 lb (1,848 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	Packard Super Eight One-Sixty Station Wagon

The Packard Station Sedan was a pseudo luxury station wagon model produced by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1948 and 1950, using the reintroduced Packard Eight platform. By offering the Station Sedan Packard could market a vehicle with station wagon attributes, but without the investment cost associated with a complete station wagon development program.^[2]

The Station Sedan used a combination of steel framing and body parts along with structural wood panels made from northern birch to create a "woody" station wagon-like car due to the growing popularity of them after World War II. Unlike other woody wagons of the day, which used wooden passenger compartments mounted to chassis of a particular car, the Station Sedan used a steel subframe and steel passenger doors onto which hard wood panels were mounted. The only wooden door on the vehicle was the rear gate assembly.^[3] Unlike competitor station wagons from Buick, Chrysler and Mercury, the Packard's length was not long enough to accommodate optional third row seating.^[3]

Neither a sedan, nor true station wagon, the Station Sedan enjoyed limited success, with a listed retail price of US$3,459 ($43,804 in 2023 dollars ^[4]) for its final year of 1950, and was discontinued when the 1951 Packard models were introduced.

1949 Packard Station Sedan
1949 Packard Station Sedan cargo area
1950 Packard Station Sedan interior
1950 Packard Station Sedan with tailgate open
1950 Packard Station Sedan rear profile

References

^ "Directory Index: Packard/1949_Packard/1949_Packard_Owners_Manual". Oldcarbrochures.com. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
^ Flory, J. "Kelly" Jr. (2008). American Cars, 1946 to 1959; Every Model, Year by Year. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-3229-5.
^ ^a ^b Gunnell, John, ed. (1987). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Kraus Publications. ISBN 0-87341-096-3.
^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.