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1954 Packard panther, three-quarter front left view

Packard Motor Car Company

Detroit Public Library

Packard automobile--History

Experimental automobiles--United States--History

Automobiles--United States--History

EB01e889

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8x10 black and white Packard Co. file photograph of a 1954 Packard three-quarter front left view, top folded. Photo caption on back from Packard Public Relations Dept.: Experimental, 1954 Packard, the Packard panther, a full sized plastic sports car, is the first of its type specially designed using a high horsepower engine capable of record speed, the car, a 3-person model with advanced styling in its one-piece plastic body, is the result of 3 years of design & materials study by the engineering division of P.M.C.Co., first public showing is now being held at New York, not aimed at highway use, the panther is powered by a new Packard 275-horsepower engine utilizing forced draft carburetion, the experimental car is one of several Packard has under development as a result of its studies of plastics for both tooling & product use, one section of the company's new styling division has a project working on design, while another section works to develop plastic dies for metal parts to get lower manufacturing costs, this would allow the company to further customize standard cars which could be built economically in limited numbers with special custom features.