My impression is that folks who write about cars tend to feature the fanciest examples. For the 1930s, for instance, I've seen many more articles about Duesenbergs than about American Bantams. And I am guilty of the same thing.
So I've decided to write some posts on lesser models as well as the line-toppers. Especially when I find a good set of images. That's the case today. The internet coughed up a set of decent photos of the entry model of the 1954
Packard Clipper line.
The car shown below is a two-door sedan, the least-expensive model in each Clipper series. It is from Clipper's mid-range DeLuxe series and was listed for sale on the Internet.
Gallery
This body was launched for the 1951 model year and remained in production with many facelifts through 1956. In '51, the 200 (pre-Clipper) series included a Club Sedan along with a Business Coupe sharing the same body. The latter was eliminated for 1952.
Packard's 1953 facelift included a revised rear fenderline. Its leading edge had a rounded profile. The new design was intended to de-soften the body shape.
The aft ends of the rear fenders were also restyled. In the mid-1950s, American stylists realized that a longer, dominant fender profile made designs seem longer than they basically were. At the front would be "frenched" headlight housings (not on this Clipper, however) and at the rear would become sort of variation on what we find here.
The shapely Packard trunk lid was retained. Simpler detailing here compared to upscale Packards.
The backlight window is a large, one-piece affair reflecting improvements in glass-forming technology.
The B-pillars are pretty narrow, yet their effect is less sporty than that of pillarless hardtop coupes.
Entry-level Clippers had two-segment side chrome strips.
The 1951 Packard 200 grille was slightly simplified for 1953 Clippers and carried over for '54.
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