1956 Packard Executive. 1 of 1,031 built. The Packard Club shows just 15 of these beauties on their directory. This isn't one of them and it may be one of the best! If the 1956 Packard Executive was built today, it would fit the entry-level luxury class populated by such nameplates as Cadillac, Infiniti, Audi and Lexus, just to name a few. In its day, it was the "go to" luxury vehicle that competed with Lincoln Continental and Cadillac without cleaning out your bank account.The Executive was Packard's glorious "Swan Song" as this beauty faded into Packard's rich history of producing high style automobiles. It was the final Packard designed and built in Detroit. Clean lines and a luxury look from hood mascot to trunk badge, this car will be an investment quality car. The Executive's elegance was exhibited twice at the Des Moines Concours d'Elegance. Packard's 1956 production only lasted 2 1/2 months before it became part of Studebaker. So this car is the last of an amazing legacy of American automobiles. Number 372 of just 1031 built, history will prove this one will become one of Detroit's classics.The Executive was marketed with the invitation to "enter the luxury car class now... at a modest investment," and was aimed at "the young man on the way up". Packard was known for its great style and technology, but it finally ran out of gas just after the Executive was released and the company was swallowed up by Studebaker, producing just 1031 of these Executive two-door hardtops. The Packard nameplate lived on for two more years but was rebadged Studebaker. Ironically the public grabbed up the Packard Executive models as fast as Packard could build them, but production only lasted from March through July 1956 before Studebaker shuttered the Detroit Packard operations, moving everything to South Bend, Indiana.This Dover White and Norwegian Forest Iridescent (Green) Packard is as elegant and distinctive as they come, sold by the Earl C. Anthony Packard dealership in San Francisco before finding its longtime home in San Jose, CA from 1956 to 1971. A second owner in Boise, Idaho had the car from 1971 until 1992 when Ken Carson of Toledo, Iowa bought the car. It was auctioned in 2016 by Rich Penn Auctions.The current owner has paid close attention to making the car not only an incredibly beautiful specimen but has made certain that mechanically it is as reliable as possible, converting the automatic to a reliable GM 4L60E which was produced in thousands of GM vehicles from 1993 until 2013. Even the Packard's push button shifter is still in operation.The 352ci 275hp engine purrs on startup with its installed 12-volt electrics and can be driven around town or on the highway with ease. Power steering, brakes, front seat and antenna are fully functional as is the automatic leveling system with four-wheel torsion suspension. Also included is special torsion suspension adjusting tools. Car comes with binders of period Packard literature and the history/build book.