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2026 Honda Ridgeline ReviewCool Car Find: 1947 Packard Clipper
This 1947 Packard Clipper limousine showcases the best qualities of the great but oft-forgotten luxury carmaker.
The Everyman’s Packard
1947 Packard Clipper – carsforsale.com | Shop Packard Clipper on Carsforsale.com
Once America’s premier luxury brand, the Great Depression saw Packard diversify their lineup to include less expensive options in a bid to expand market share. Selling alongside their regal “Senior” models, like the Twelve and Super Eight, were new “Junior” models like the 120 (their first model to start at less than $1,000). The move helped Packard weather the worst of the 1930s, but it also began a steady, if subtle erosion of the brand’s prestige in the eyes of the car-buying public. The Clipper, introduced in 1941, bridged the gap between the upper and lower ends of Packard’s lineup. The Clipper might have been just what Packard needed to compete more effectively with Detroit’s Big Three. History, however, had other ideas.
Today’s Cool Car Find is a 1947 Packard Clipper, an excellent example of post-war luxury and the understated opulence that was a Packard hallmark.
Pre- and Post-War Packard
Debuting in 1941, the Packard Clipper might have been one of Packard’s “cheaper” models, but it was by no means lacking in refinements. The Clipper was initially offered as a four-door sedan and powered by a 282 cu.-in. straight-six making 120 horsepower. Its luxury features included heated leather front seats and air-conditioning. The car’s design was developed with the help of Howard “Dutch” Darrin, incorporating his signature swooping aerodynamics that had given his previous coach built Packards their distinctive styling.
The Clipper coupe (120) and convertible body styles were added for the 1942 model. The Clipper was selling well for Packard, moving 34,000 units before Packard shifted to war production with the advent of WWII. While the company shifted to mostly producing naval engines (for PT boats) and airplane engines (Rolls-Royces’ Merlin engine), they also produced Clipper sedans which served as officers’ cars.
Production resumed in 1946 with the ‘46 and ‘47 Clippers almost unchanged from their pre-war iterations. Engines now included a 245 straight-six (150 hp), a 282-cu.-in. straight-eight (125 hp), and a 356-cu.-in. straight-eight (165 hp). The Clipper Sixes and Eights rode on a 120-inch wheelbase while the larger Custom Super Clippers featured a longer 127-inch wheelbase. A seven-passenger limousine version stretched to a 148-inch wheelbase, adding a third side window and folding jump seats.
Packardbakers
Despite good profits from war contracts, Packard struggled to find its footing in those post-war years. The Clipper’s initial run was cut short as Packard dropped the name when they redesigned the car for 1948. The bulbous new body of the Twenty-Second and Twenty-Third Series cars was derided as a bathtub on wheels.
The Clipper name returned in 1953 as Packard’s entry-level car with a 288 cu.-in. straight-eight under the hood. The 1955 model received exterior updates including a new front-end design. More significant was the addition of two V8 engines, a 320 with 225 hp and a 352 with 275 hp. The move was much belated as Packard had held onto their straight-eight engine long after the rest of the industry had adopted V8s.
By the mid-1950s, it was clear Packard would need a partnership to continue to compete against America’s largest car companies. Packard’s merger with Studebaker, rather than saving the company, would eventually spell its demise. Though the Clipper name continued, new jointly built cars were largely Studebaker Presidents underneath. These 1957 “Packardbakers” further diminished the Packard name, which was dropped after 1958.
Our Cool Car Find
1947 Packard Clipper – carsforsale.com | Shop Packard Clipper on Carsforsale.com
This 1947 Packard Clipper is our Cool Car Find not only because it’s in sterling condition, but because it’s a rare, long wheelbase Super Clipper limousine. Note the jump seats which enable the Clipper to seat up to seven and neatly fold up into the back of the front seats. This example comes complete with a white wall-wrapped full spare in the trunk. Under the hood is the largest engine offered in the 1947 model, the 353 (5.9L) straight-eight sending 165 horsepower to a three-speed manual transmission. The car is elegant inside and out, finished in a black and silver exterior and a tasteful tan interior with cloth seats and wood trim. This unique, statement-making Packard Clipper is offered for $49,900.
