A rare 1951 Packard Patrician 400 sedan sits abandoned and deteriorated in a rural Texas field town as Mother Nature slowly consumes it.
I came across this rusting beauty while driving down some rural roads east of Dallas. When it caught my eye, I made the first u-turn I could and got a closer look. I really enjoy urban exploring abandoned places but abandoned antique automobiles are my favorite to explore. Antique cars distinctly represent eras of U.S. history unlike anything else. They can represent the best of technology, engineering, and creativity during their time of production.
When arrived at this car I gleefully walked around it, taking photos of it that captured its former glory and the wear it has endured through time. I loved all the rounded edges and chrome detailing. It was sad to see it deteriorating, I imagined that my dad would have loved to have worked restoring a car like this.
From the text on the hood, it was obviously a Packard, a now-defunct American luxury carmaker. But honestly, I don’t know much about Packard, especially since they ceased to exist years before I was born. After some research, I learned that this car is a 1951 Packard Patrician 400.
About The Packard 400
The Packard Patrician 400 was the highest-end luxury car Packard made in the early 50s. Its name Patrician is a Latin word for a ruling class in ancient Rome. The Patrician 400 was available only as a premium, four-door sedan, upholstered with fine leather, quality carpet, and chrome trimming. The original listing price was $3,662, which was the most expensive car Packard made. It had an 8-cylinder, 212 horse powered engine. Interestingly, only 9,000 1951 Packard Patrician 400 were produced, which makes this a pretty rare car.
Here’s a photo with some dramatic black and white editing to highlight how beautifully the chrome trim adorned the car.
Packard Patrician 400 Brochure
If you are curious, here’s an ad that shows how the car originally looked in 1951:
Aw, poor thing. She was someone’s treasure at one time!
She was! I hope she gets restored and becomes someone’s treasure once again.
What a great find!
Thanks!
Now this is a cool find! Great shots here.
HI Matthew my name is John Vaughn and I seen your post about the 1952 Packard patrician 400 can you please tell me where at in Texas that car is because I’m interested in finding the owner of you see I have a 52 Packard patrician 400 touring sedan you can call me at 463-867-1501 if you don’t mind I would like to save the car and fix it and put it with mine thanks John
Sure, I’ll give you a call.