Starting a 1953 Packard Patrician meant flooring the accelerator pedal to trip a switch built into the carburetor — a real ignition key with a start position didn't arrive until 1954.
Lead trim: Patrician 327 cu in straight-eight (1953) · up to 212 hp
Packard Patrician1953–1954
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Packard Patrician yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactStarting a 1953 Packard Patrician meant flooring the accelerator pedal to trip a switch built into the carburetor — a real ignition key with a start position didn't arrive until 1954.
The "400" designation was removed for 1953 and the Patrician remained Packard's highest-trim sedan, on the 127 in chassis, also the base for Henney's custom 149 in eight-passenger Executive Sedans and Limousines (the Packard Corporate Executive limousine listed at US$7,100, the 1953 Patrician sedan at US$3,740). For 1953 it kept the 327 cu in (5.4 L) nine-main-bearing straight eight but added a four-barrel carburetor, optional power steering and "Easamatic" power brakes; for 1954 a new 359 cu in (5.9 L) nine-main-bearing, aluminium-head 212 hp engine with a 4-barrel carburetor was standard and 1954 added a start position to the ignition key. The Henney professional cars were built on a 156 in commercial chassis. 2-speed Ultramatic. Wheelbase 127 in (149 in limousine), length 218.2 in (240.2 in), width 77.9 in, height 62.9 in, curb weight 4,335 lb (4,720 lb limousine); the entered figures are the sedan's.
Collectors Spotted in the Packard Patrician Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Packard Patrician yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrician 327 cu in straight-eight (1953) | 1953–1953 | 5.4 L Inline-8 | 180 hp | 300 lb-ft | — | RWD | automatic | — |
| Patrician 359 cu in straight-eight (212 hp, 1954) | 1954–1954 | 5.9 L Inline-8 | 212 hp | 330 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
After decades of building only straight-eight engines, Packard finally broke tradition in 1955 and gave the Patrician its first-ever V8.
Starting a 1953 Packard Patrician meant flooring the accelerator pedal to trip a switch built into the carburetor — a real ignition key with a start position didn't arrive until 1954.
The 1951-52 Patrician 400's straight-eight got nine main bearings instead of the usual five — pure over-engineering, since it added zero extra horsepower.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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