The Unusual 1958 Packard 58L: From the Company’s Last Year in Business
Classics
American
The 1958 Packard 58L now being auctioned on eBay Motors is a stellar survivor—with 76,000 miles on its original overhead-valve 289-cubic-inch V-8 (coupled to a two-speed Flight-o-Matic transmission - opens in new window or tab.). The paint is probably 20 years old but still looks good. Its body and floor are solid, and its hard-to-find trim and chrome are in excellent shape.
The 58L’s styling takes some getting used to. It could be said to result from desperate measures. Packard bought Studebaker in 1954, hoping to tap into the latter’s dealer network. But Studebaker wasn’t in good shape, selling only about a third of the cars necessary to break even.
The interior was upgraded for the Packard-bakers. This one is in great condition.
The combined Packard-Studebaker had a terrible year in 1956 and had no money for the styling makeover that Packard desperately needed. The result was predictable—1957 and 1958 “Packards” that were rebadged Studebaker Presidents. The line stopped running in July 1958, and that was it for Packard.
The 58L coupe appeared as things were winding up, and only 675 units, including this car, were produced in 1958. The new car was an evolution of the stylish two-door Champion Starliner—see this 1952 Studebaker Champion Regal Starliner Coupe also listed on eBay Motors.
The Studebaker coupes were introduced in the early 1950s with a design by icon Raymond Loewy. But because Packard was a luxury brand, the clean lines were gussied up with fins, quad headlamps, chrome, big tailfins, a hood scoop, an upgraded interior, and two-tone paint. If the goal of the 58L was to look “modern,” then it was a success in the fins-and-chrome world of 1958, but the model was not in the same category as the elegant kings of the road Packard produced in the 1920s and 1930s - opens in new window or tab..
The car’s stylish rear seat features a fold-down armrest.
Packard is hardly the only prestige brand that took a detour from a well-earned popular style. Cadillac, for instance, tarnished its badge with downsized economy models like the Cimarron J-Car Cimarron - opens in new window or tab. introduced in 1982. The successful Pontiac GTO - opens in new window or tab. nameplate appeared in 2004 as a thinly veiled Australian-built Holden Monaro - opens in new window or tab.. By the late 2000s, Saabs were bland-looking entries from the General Motors parts bin. In this context, the ’58 Packard was groundbreaking because it pioneered the art of badge engineering.
The beautiful befinned 58L now taking bids on eBay Motors is offered by Stan Vandenbroek, a former dealer who now buys and sells as a hobby. Vandenbroek said that he bought the car as a project—putting the exhaust back together, installing new carpeting, and flushing out the fuel system. Not much needs doing now. “This car belongs in a private collection,” Vandenbroek said. “You wouldn’t want to mess with it too much. It’s in very good original condition, and they’re only original once.”
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