Packard Balboa Concept

Packard Balboa Concept
Packard
aka	Packard Caribbean
Introduction	1953
Class	Concept Car
Body Style	2-Door Hardtop
Length	220 9/32 in
Width	Width - type here
Height	Height - type here
Wheelbase	122 in
Weight	Weight - you get the point
Transmission	transmission + drive
Engine	327 c.i. Straight Eight
Power	180 hp @ 4,000 rpm N/A lb-ft of torque @ N/A rpm
Similar	similar (competition)
Designer	Richard A. Teague

The 1953 Packard Balboa-X, as it was officially called, was a hardtop based on the Packard Caribbean convertible. The main point of interest on the car was the canopy-style C-pillar. Caribbeans never recieved a hardtop like the Balboa's, but they got a conventional one (covered with Hypalon) in 1956.

Drivetrain of the Balboa-X was stock Caribbean with a 327 c.i. Straight Eight that was distinguished from lesser Clippers Deluxe's engine by hydraulic valve train adjustment, and from the more expensive Patrician 327 by 5 instead of 9 main bearings.

See Wikicars' comprehensive Packard Balboa Concept Review.

Photos

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  Rear

Unique Attributes

The rear window had a reverse-slope and could be lowered for draft-free ventilation and a rear view without optical distortion. Further, the rear shelf was omitted for reasons of safety (loose articles in case of an accident), a modern attempt at the time. The Packard Predictor show car of 1956 also featured an opening, reverse angled rear window. Some years later, Mercury stuck on the idea and offered some models with a similar rear window treatment.

Criticisms

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Worldwide

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Design quirks and oddities

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Awards

D.S.C. Gold Medal for Design, Safety and Comfort by Fawcett Publications; Automobile-, Design- and Lifestyle Magazine

External Links

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Sources

• Kimes, Beverly Rae; Editor: Packard, A History of the Motor Car and the Company - General edition - (1978) Automobile Quarterly, ISBN 0-915038-11-0
• Dawes, Nathaniel D.: The Packard: 1942-1962 (1975), ISBN 0-498-01353-7

This article or section contains information about a concept automobile. It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature, but such speculation is usually sourced from the automotive news media, the automaker's media press releases, or other news sources. Concept cars, or similar evolutionary vehicles based on them, may never see production. The content and specifications for those selected for continuation may change significantly as the concept evolves, or as production nears if it is launched, and as more information becomes available. Concept automobiles, and their derivatives if any, are subject to delays or cancellation by the automaker.