Editing Packard (section)

===1957–1958===
[[File:1958 Packard.jpg|thumb|right|1958 Packard]]

In 1957, no more Packards were built in Detroit and the [[Packard Clipper|Clipper]] disappeared as a separate brand name. Instead, a Studebaker President–based car bearing the [[1957 and 1958 Packards|Packard Clipper]] nameplate appeared on the market, but sales were slow. Available in just two body styles, Town Sedan (four-door sedan) and Country Sedan (four-door station wagon), they were powered by Studebaker's {{cvt|289|cid|L|1|adj=on}} [[V8 engine|V8]] with a [[McCulloch Motors Corporation|McCulloch]] supercharger, delivering the same {{cvt|275|hp|kW}} as the 1956 Clipper Custom, although at higher revolutions. Borrowing design cues from the 1956 Clipper (visual in the grille and dash), with wheel covers, tail lamps, and dials from 1956 along with the Packard cormorant hood mascot and trunk chrome trim from 1955 senior Packards, front bumpers, and Dagmars from the 1956 model, the 1957 Packard Clipper was much more than a badge-engineered Studebaker—but also far from a [[Packard Patrician|Patrician]]. Had the company been able to invest more money to finish the transformation and position the car under a senior line of "true Packards", it might have been a successful Clipper. Standing alone the cars sold in limited numbers; a number of Packard dealers dropped their franchises while customers stayed away, despite huge price discounts, fearful of buying a car that could soon be an orphan. Additionally, there was internal competition from Studebaker-Packard dealers that also carried the Mercedes-Benz brand, to which SP had the USA rights, with the market flooded by inexpensive cars, minor automakers struggled to sell vehicles at [[loss leader]] prices to keep up with Ford and GM.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.2307/2098583 |last=Bresnahan |first=Timothy F. |title=Competition and Collusion in the American Automobile Industry: The 1955 Price War |journal=The Journal of Industrial Economics |volume=35 |issue=4 |date=June 1987 |pages=457–482 |jstor=2098583}}</ref> There was a general decline in demand for large cars heralded an industry switch to [[compact car]]s such as the [[Studebaker Lark]].

The marque suffered further loss of exclusivity and consumers perceived a reduction in quality. Competitors and media critics described the new models as "[[Packardbaker]]s". The 1958 models were launched with no series name, simply as "Packard". New body styles were introduced, and a two-door hardtop joined the four-door sedan. A new premier model appeared with a sporting profile: the [[Packard Hawk]] was based on the Studebaker Golden Hawk and featured a new nose and a fake spare wheel molded in the trunk lid reminiscent of the concurrent Imperial. The 1958 Packards were among the first in the industry to be "facelifted" with plastic parts. The housing for the new dual headlights and the complete fins were fiberglass parts grafted on Studebaker bodies. Very little chrome was on the lower front clip. Designer [[Duncan McRae (designer)|Duncan McRae]] managed to include the 1956 Clipper tail lights for one last time which also included the "Packard Cusps" in the front hood. Added to the front of all but the Hawk were jet [[Nacelle (disambiguation)|nacelles]] for quad headlights, in a desperate attempt to keep up with late-1950s styling cues. All Packards were equipped with {{cvt|14|in|cm|adj=on}} road wheels to lower the profile. The public reaction was predictable and sales were 2,622 vehicles for the 1958 model year, even being outsold by Checker Motors Corp. The Studebaker factory was older than Packard's Detroit plant, with higher production requirements, which added to dipping sales. A new compact car on which the company staked its survival, the Lark, was a year away, and it also failed to sell in sufficient numbers to keep the marque afloat. Several makes were discontinued around this time: Packard, [[Edsel]], [[Hudson Motors|Hudson]], [[Nash Motors|Nash]], [[DeSoto (automobile)|DeSoto]], and [[Kaiser Motors|Kaiser]]. Not since the 1930s had so many makes disappeared, and it would not be until the [[automotive industry crisis of 2008–10]] that so many makes would be dropped at the same time again. The last Packard by Studebaker Packard Corporation rolled off the assembly line on July 16, 1958.