1956 Packard Patrician Custom Pickup
The Packard Patrician is an automobile which was built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, from model years 1951 through the 1956. During its six years in production, the Patrician was built in Packard’s Detroit facilities on East Grand Boulevard. The word “patrician” is Latin for a ruling class in Ancient Rome. It was the last “senior level” Packard until production ended in 1958.
Packard never built a pickup truck — if they had, maybe they’d be in business today — but that didn’t dissuade the enterprising folks at Speedwell Garage in Parkton, Maryland. The result is this custom-bodied conversion created from a 1956 Packard Patrician sedan, and it credibly imagines what might have been.
Unique doesn’t even begin to describe this 1956 Packard Patrician custom pickup. This truck started as a 1956 Patrician 4-door sedan that was sent to Speedwell Garage and converted into an unbelievably cool pickup. Once the conversion was complete, the truck was sent to Detroit Custom for paint, padded top, vintage air conditioning and backup camera. When converted, the original 4-doors were all retained to provide additional storage under the truck’s wooden bed. There is nothing like this truck available on the market today and likely will never be again.
This 1956 Packard Patrician Custom Pickup was powered by a believed to be original 374cubic inch V8 tied to a push-button automatic transmission with power steering and power breaks, this truck is ideally balanced and a joy to drive.
Custom painted in a brilliant and unique two-tone copper-gold over ivory by Detroit Custom in Ocala, Florida, the Packard features chrome, aluminum and stainless brightwork that gleams incredibly, giving the whole car a kind of glow. The bed features beautifully finished wood, polished strips and houses the spare, while the rear doors were retained to provide access to storage under the bed floor. The fabrication seems fabulous, looking very much like it may well have been built by Packard. Wide whitewall tires and full-size Packard wheel covers adorn the body-colored steel wheels, while fender skirts add a degree of elegance in the rear. Certainly one-of-a-kind, outside of a flower car, it’s not likely the new caretaker will run into anything like it anywhere. Regardless of that, this is the only Packard pickup, one that could be a truly fun ride to use at a major swap meet.
That’s because it’s been very neatly converted into a pickup truck, a conversion done by Speedwell Garage of Parkton, Maryland. Just by looking at it, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell it’s not supposed to be that way, either.
