Able Aristocrat

If the 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air represented rock and roll, perhaps in the form of Bill Haley and the Comets, then the 1955 Packard Four Hundred’s soundtrack was something more like traditional pop from the likes of the McGuire Sisters or The Four Aces. Both are classics equally representative of the 1950s, but the Packard and pop represent the adult side of the equation — the men and women in gray flannel that set the overall tone of that decade. That’s not to say, however, that the Packard gives up anything to “The Hot Ones” from Chevrolet.

The 1955 Packards looked remarkably fresh, especially considering that their body shells dated back four years already. Thank Richard Teague for that, as it was his pen that redrew the old “high pockets” 1951 styling into something very much in step with the times. Teague’s changes included a wraparound windshield, hooded headlamps, and (on senior Packards) cathedral taillamps. Creative use of decorative trim helped