Detroit. Genoa. Kaiserslautern. Pittsburgh. In that order. That’s where she’s been. Here’s what she’s made of.
The Numbers
Under the hood: a 352 cubic-inch V8, 275 horsepower at 4,600 rpm, roughly 380 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. Power runs through a Twin Ultramatic automatic, this car’s own controlled by a stalk on the steering column rather than the pushbuttons some 1956 Packards offered.
A 122-inch wheelbase, 215.4 inches long, 78 inches wide, curb weight around 4,185 pounds. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, and an electric antenna, on top of Packard’s own Torsion-Level Ride suspension, adjustable from a switch on the dash.
Against a Cadillac of the Same Year
The Clipper Custom wasn’t Packard’s flagship, that was the Patrician, so the fair comparison isn’t Cadillac’s flagship either. Line it up against Cadillac’s own volume model, the 1956 Series 62, and the numbers were close enough to have mattered at the time.
| Spec | Packard Clipper Custom | Cadillac Series 62 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 352 cu in V8 | 365 cu in V8 |
| Horsepower | 275 hp @ 4,600 rpm | 285 hp @ 4,600 rpm (305 hp optional) |
| Transmission | Twin Ultramatic automatic | 4-speed Hydra-Matic automatic |
| Wheelbase | 122 in | 129 in |
| Length | 215.4 in | 214.9 in |
| Width | 78 in | 80.1 in |
| Curb weight | ~4,185 lb | ~4,640 lb (convertible) |
A wider stance and a bit more engine on the Cadillac’s side. A shorter wheelbase, and yet a longer overall car, on the Packard’s. Neither company was hiding from the comparison. That was the whole point.
Inside the Cabin
Interior trim on the Custom was the most luxurious Packard offered that year, leather available as an option. The sedan came well equipped before adding anything: power brakes, power steering, and an electric antenna, all standard. This car has the power locks and power windows as well.
The Torsion-Level system wasn’t just a smoother ride. A dash-mounted switch let the driver raise or lower the rear ride height under load, a genuinely unusual feature for 1956.
This Specific Car
VIN 5662-3040. The engine serial matches the car’s own VIN exactly, a numbers-matching original, not a replacement. Built early in the model year, roughly the 1,040th of an estimated 2,129 to 2,219 Touring Sedans made before Packard’s Detroit operations shut down that June.