By 1956, Packard as a car maker was on its last legs. One of its “last gasps”, as Jay Leno calls it, was the American icon, the Packard Caribbean. It’s one of the many cool cars in Jay Leno’s Garage.
The eponymous YouTube channel, Jay Leno’s Garage features Leno’s own 1956 Packard Caribbean and it’s an absolute blast to drive judging by the big grin on Leno’s face. Here’s his rundown of one of the most iconic classic cars.
Plenty Of Reasons For Jay Leno To Love The 1956 Packard Caribbean
Leno starts off the video by driving the car with a silly grin plastered on his face as he says, “nothing says the 50s like this car. Big, flashy, lot of chrome, [it says] hey you won WWII, enjoy yourself, buy a big car.”
As he introduces the car in a studio setting, Leno says that this was the end of the line for Packard, because they soon merged with Studebaker. While Studebaker Packer made cars, nothing was as cool as what Packard made earlier.
The V8, as Leno explains, was new for that time. The Packard ran a straight-8 before they got the V8 in 1955 in a 352 cu in displacement. In 1956, this jumped to a 374 cu in to achieve 310 horsepower on two four-barrel carburetors.
Jay Leno Also Has A 1955 Packard
Leno also took the opportunity to talk about his 1955 Packard Caribbean which they covered in an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage. He says he was going to restore it when he realized that buying an already restored one would cost him less. Leno liked the 1956 Packard Caribbean for the interiors because you could switch the upholstery in it. The cushions could flip around with one side leather and the other side cloth. Although Leno admits, “every time you hit the brakes, it was like a pillow fight because all the cushions came flying out.”
Jay Leno's 1956 Packard Caribbean was different as it came custom-made with leather on both sides of the cushions. His car is a rare model with leather insides and black and white paint. With that in mind, only 15 or these examples existed.
It was expensive for its time at close to $6,000 back in the day. It has electric windows, top, and seats and came plush with luxury.
But the greatest reason why Jay Leno loves it is the torsion bar suspension making this 1956 Packard Caribbean as modern as modern can get.
Source: YouTube channel Jay Leno’s Garage