Solved - NEH 3748: 1963 Packard V12 revival

[Carnut]

What's this, from when - for 1 point?:

Remember - solving puzzles using 'Google Search by Image' is BANNED on AutoPuzzles!

[CrzRsn]

General body lines remind me of Cadillac.

[Carnut]

General body lines remind me of Cadillac.

It's not a Cadillac!

[CrzRsn]

General body lines remind me of Cadillac.

It's not a Cadillac!

I'm 95% certain its from one of the American luxury brands. If its not Caddy, that leaves Lincoln, Studebaker or Packard. Can't find this exact model though.

[Carnut]

You're on the right track.
We discourage multiple guesses though so you can only have one guess per post then have to wait for it to be answered before you can guess again; sorry.
So, make your choice!

[CrzRsn]

Thanks for the rule clarification. Spent all weekend searching for this car (and other). Finally got it. It was supposed to be a 1965 Packard, but never produced since the company closed its doors before then.

[Carnut]

Thanks for the rule clarification. Spent all weekend searching for this car (and other). Finally got it. It was supposed to be a 1965 Packard, but never produced since the company closed its doors before then.

It is a Packard, yes, but I have a different year for it.
Also will need a bit more detail about what kind of Packard it was to be.
Since you've got the car I'll lock it for you until your next reply or 48 hours, whichever comes first, to dig into.

[CrzRsn]

Hmmm, here is the site I found it on - <<Link removed>>



In the image, the 2nd digit of the year is a bit grainy, but it looks like a '63. If this was a '65 or '66 model that would make sense, as running prototypes are seen on the roads years early (at least in today's auto industry, don't know about the 60s), however there's something fishy to all this as Packard was shut down in 1959, and Studebaker-Packard dropped the name in 1962. Searching more now, it seems as though the AACA has some skepticism if it was real - http://forums.aaca.org/f134/1965-packard-185804.html

As far as the type of vehicle this was supposedly going to be, an all new V12 flagship sedan and coupe that was supposed to separate the brand from being rebadge Studebakers (kinda like what Lincoln need now ). That photo is the only one that is known to exist of the car, taken when supposedly one of the engineers took the car to pick up his kids from school.

Who knows, maybe with all the Detroit Packard plant demolition in the news, work crews will find this in some sub-basement vault hidden and protected from scalpers/looters all these years, and show the world that it did exist.

[Carnut]

There you go - that's what I had it down as too - 1963 Packard V12 revival.

Of course there's an awful lot of misleading stuff on the 'Net, and many of these kinds of things are just photoshop jobs with some half-plausible sounding prose and never actually existed at all!  I don't know if this is one of those..
So it gets you another point but please note I've removed the link to your source; links are not allowed here for fairly obvious reasons - they can prejudice other/future puzzles.  Please take a couple of minutes to familiarise yourself with the rules which appear at the top of each section!
Well done again - good puzzling!

[Bill Murray]

crzrsn:

Thanks for the link and info on the old Packard Plant.  I had bookmarked a story on it about 3 years ago when it was still a haven for drug dealers, drifters, party timers etc. etc.

At the time, I thought it very sad that such a landmark should just sit there and decay.  Glad to see someone is doing something, even if it seems most of the something consists of tearing it down.  I will follow developments as they occur.

Bill

[fyreline]

Among Packard aficionados, this is a well-known image of a car that never existed in reality. It is an entirely made-up car (and backstory) done to tell the tale of "what if" Packard had not gone under, and what types of cars it might have produced in future years. I participated in the debate and speculation myself for a while, and some very creative people came up with some outstanding designs. It's a pity none of them ever saw the light of day. Don't worry about the puzzle car suddenly turning up somewhere - it only exists on the computers of the people who created it, and those who find it there.

[Bill Murray]

I can't comment on the puzzle car as I know nothing of it, but here are "Then" and "Now" photos of the Packard factory.

Bill

[4popoid]

Great pictures, Bill.  They pretty much say it all.

[sixtee5cuda]

Both the Studebaker and Packard owners clubs printed an article about this vehicle, which nearly everyone thinks has no actual connection to Studebaker or Packard.

[Otto Puzzell]

My once-thriving home town 

[Bill Murray]

The Studebaker plant suffered the same fate in South Bend In.
Bill

http://creativedestruction.se/?page_id=4662