Although its cars continued to be built to exemplary standards, Packard in the post-war years failed to match the pace of styling change that its customers, and the rest of the US auto industry, had come to accept as the norm.

Nevertheless, Packards of the late 1940s and 1950s are amongst the most collectible of post-war US automobiles, representing as they do the final flowering of that magnificent straight eight.

When post-war production commenced in October 1945, Packard fielded a range almost unchanged from that on offer for 1942, as did almost the entire US auto industry.

By 1951 Packard was building eight-cylinder cars only and these were available in four series: 200, 250, 300 and 400.

For 1953 the base 200 Series was renamed 'Clipper', reviving a name from the 1940s.

The Clipper line-up consisted of Special and Deluxe variants, powered by the 288ci (4.7-liter) and 327ci (5.4-liter) engines respectively.

This is an example of the latter, visually discerned by the full leng...