Name That Concept!

[wildmanjoe]

Make model and year. Bonus points if you can name the inspiration for the rear roof line.

[balthazar]

I'm obviously excluded here

[wildmanjoe]

You're probably the only one that knows it, so go for it.

[ocnblu]

Looking at it, it has to be a FoMoCo product. 1955 Lincoln Futura? I know that's wrong, but...

[Camino LS6]

Agreed on Fomoco.

The rear roofline is all Mercury Turnpike Cruiser.

[balthazar]

^ {sssss} Oooooo,

let's let it ride a bit, cause I got your answers right here.

Edited November 3, 2011 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

Packard Predictor, I believe.

(didn't check Wikipedia either...I remember this car and the Packard Request from a magazine article years ago...)

Edited November 4, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

My money was on either ocnblu or Cube, and Cubitar got it.

'56 Packard Predictor, roofline inspired by the '52 Packard Balboa (Yo!), I do believe:

Note the monstrous degree of stylistic change from 1952 to 1956 - we'll never see that degree of change within even 10 years ever again.

Edited November 3, 2011 by balthazar

[ocnblu]

Interesting, and very cool. I never want to use google to jog my memory or my detective skeels, that would take the fun out of these threads, imo.

The narrow center grille didn't strike me, from that angle, to feature the trademark Packard shape. WMJ said this concept was inspired by an earlier one... that threw me off, because it clearly inspired the later Mercury Turnpike Cruiser with retractable Breezeway back window.

The front end doesn't look like a Ford design, on second thought, but the glassy roof and Lincoln-like rear end at the angle of the photo are what made me think Ford. I've seen the Futura, but it's been a while.

[wildmanjoe]

The weird thing about the car is that from the back, other than the enormous front wheel well, it looks like it could be any regular production late 1950's car;

but then you get to the front and it's like, "what were they thinking?"

[balthazar]

Well... they were thinking about a return to the classic Packard grille shape, which was more upright than the '50s horizontal version was. Reportedly --and this is the reason the Request was built-- there were considerable... requests for Packard to do so.

'55 Request:

^ I LOVE this car, I think it's pulled off tremendously well (classic grille on (then) modern envelope).

I especially love grillework that wraps under the front fascia. Giggity.

This car screams 'luxury' in a way no s-class ever could dream of.

Predictor looks somewhat ungainly here:

http://www.flickr.co...ard/5519038364/

• • •

RE the Predictor & WMJ's contention it could be production from the rear quarter view, I would agree, witness :

Edited November 4, 2011 by balthazar

[Drew Dowdell]

Edsel's luxury division

[balthazar]

Another shot of the Request, with a production '56 in the background :

And if you compare the Predictor to the following in-house styling direction, you'd clamor for the Predictor:

Packard Styling was really pared down to a few men and the rumors were swirling when these were penned, so....

[Camino LS6]

Interesting.

That last design just screams Ford in the roofline and glass. I guess Ford was cribbing from Packard even as it lay dying.

[loki]

Edsel's luxury division

the nose of the original does scream edsel.....

[ocnblu]

That salmon-coloured Lincoln Balthy posted is perversely cool.

[balthazar]

That salmon-coloured Lincoln Balthy posted is perversely cool.

Just imagine it with a stainless steel bed in the back

[wildmanjoe]

Interesting, and very cool. I never want to use google to jog my memory or my detective skeels, that would take the fun out of these threads, imo.

The narrow center grille didn't strike me, from that angle, to feature the trademark Packard shape. WMJ said this concept was inspired by an earlier one... that threw me off, because it clearly inspired the later Mercury Turnpike Cruiser with retractable Breezeway back window.

The front end doesn't look like a Ford design, on second thought, but the glassy roof and Lincoln-like rear end at the angle of the photo are what made me think Ford. I've seen the Futura, but it's been a while.

I always liked the comically oversized butt on those:

[Camino LS6]

I have always despised "Continental kits", but that is the most obscene example ever!

[ocnblu]

J Lo who? So glad the factory didn't go that far.

Edited November 5, 2011 by ocnblu

[balthazar]

Count me in as also despising continental kits.

[Camino LS6]

Count me in as also despising continental kits.

They are sort of the fifties equivalent to the ricer wing, aren't they?

[balthazar]

They are. The only way they are sometimes sortof palatable is when the bumper stays where it is, like:

This integration is even better, I actually like this one... but it's a concept:

Nothing comes to mind done this nice as OEM.

And if it's on ANYTHING newer than about 1958, forget it.

[Robert Hall]

The '56 T-bird is about the only continental kit I like because it was standard that year... the ones with the spacing between the body and bumper look so tacky and cheesy...

[balthazar]

^ Agreed. Awful, and why so many like 'em is beyond me.

Whaaaa????