The esteemed Packard Motor Car Company is now gone, but it's fondly remembered for the pinnacle of automotive prestige it enjoyed for most of its lifespan. Arguably considered as the Rolls-Royce of North America at the time, the automaker had an exclusive heritage of extraordinary innovation, luxury, and quality, with a price tag to match.

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One of Packard's best marketing strategies was generating exciting concept cars to attract attention and gauge the receptiveness of prospective buyers to the new models and designs. After successful runs with the Pan American convertible, Caribbean, and Balboa hardtop models, Packard introduced the exceptional and innovative Panther Daytona-Roadster to try and replicate the same results. Read on to find out the 10 things everyone forgot about the Packard Panther Daytona-Roadster classic car.

10 Packard Designed And Built The Panther-Daytona Within A Year

1954 Packard Panther Daytona Roadster
via Supercars.net

In mid-1953, Packard's president James Nance commissioned the go-ahead for a fast-track concept car project, with a target for completion in early 1954. Although the schedule was nearly impossible, Packard needed to present an exciting vehicle to capitalize on the increasingly important Daytona Speed Week publicity.

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via Supercars.net

Dick Teague, the brains behind the Packard Balboa design, worked with engineering vice president William Graves and chief styling engineer Edward Macauley to design the Panther. Against all odds, the new concept car was ready in time for the 1954 event, rocking Packard's signature design cues and dramatic styling.

9 Mitchell-Bentley And Creative Industries Fabricated The Panther-Daytona's Body

Packard Panther Daytona
via Public Fotki

The odds were undoubtedly stacked against the Panther even before its conception. Besides the limited timeframe, Packard had to manufacture its bodies through an outside vendor after Chrysler Corporation bought its longtime body supplier, Briggs Manufacturing.

Related: A Brief History Of Chrysler

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona
via Public Fotki

Mitchell-Bentley got assigned to fabricate the Panther's body, and his company teamed up with Creative Industries to get all hands on deck. These two companies proved pivotal to Packard because their remarkable feat of craftsmanship ensured the new concept car was up and running before the Daytona event.

8 The Panther-Daytona Features One-Piece Fiberglass Body Molding

Packard Panther Daytona
via Hemmings

Interestingly, Mitchell-Bentley worked on Teague's design from a small one-sided model since there was no time to construct a full-size mock-up. Creative Industries fabricated the body using an advanced material that only a few automakers were tinkering with at the time, glass-reinforced plastic.

Packard Panther Daytona
via Supercars.net

Mitchell-Bentley and Creative bonded the Panther's body in an innovative one-piece molding, a feat no automaker had accomplished before. And since the full-size car measured almost 200 inches long, the economical molds and hand layup techniques employed one-inch thick fiberglass for durability and rigidity.

7 The Panther-Daytona Was Nearly Badged 'Grey Wolf II'

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via PlanetCarZ

Initially, Packard planned on calling the new concept the 'Gray Wolf II' as an homage to the 50th Anniversary of the iconic record-breaking Gray Wolf racer. The 1903-04 Packard Gray Wolf was one of America's first lightweight racers, and it brought the company fame by defeating far more powerful competition in several races around the country.

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via Old Concept Cars

The 'Gray Wolf II' went on to do right by its namesake by turning in a speed of 110.9mph through official Daytona Beach time clocks and an unofficial class record of 131.1mph. After the concept's exploits at the legendary racetrack, Packard ultimately chose the alliterative name 'Panther-Daytona.'

6 The Packard-Daytona Packs Serious Performance Muscle

1954 Packard Panther Daytona
via Hemmings

Despite its rather generous dimensions, the Panther-Daytona performed well, more so in a straight line. The secret behind the impressive sports car-like performance credentials was a 359-cubic inch straight eight; the biggest engine Packard could get their hands on at the time.

Related: 10 Classic Muscle Cars That Would Be Perfect With A Modern Engine

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via Concept Cars

In addition, Packard fitted the Panther with a McCulloch centrifugal supercharger that boosted power to an outrageous 275hp. The Panther-Daytona was essentially a muscle car even before muscle cars were cool.

5 Packard Used The Panther-Daytona As A Show Car

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via Supercars.net

Packard wanted to convince its investors, employees, and the public that it could still produce exciting cars with modern designs and styling. Packard succeeded by using the Panther-Daytona as a show car in 1954, displaying it throughout the U.S. and some parts of Europe.

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via Old Cars Weekly

The show car carried on Packard's identity with a sleek, aerodynamic package and slightly scalloped skirts covering the rear wheels. Interestingly, the Panther was the first Packard to sport a full wraparound windshield.

4 Packard Built Three Other Panthers

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via Concept Cars

The Panther-Daytona featured in the 1954 Daytona Speed Week was one of two models that Packard used as show cars that it toured with across the country. The second pair, a convertible and a removable hardtop model, were produced later for Don Mitchell of Mitchell-Bentley and Rick Terry of Creative Industries.

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via WallpaperUp

Unlike the two factory-owned Panthers, the examples in private ownership did not get the McCulloch centrifugal supercharger. However, they received extensive modifications to include new rear quarters with Packard's 1955 style cathedral lights, updated paint colors, and a rear deck with dual accent ribs.

3 The Panther-Daytona Never Made It To Full Production

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via Pinterest

Automakers rarely make concept cars to be used on the highway, which makes the Panther-Daytona such a unique car. Unfortunately, Packard did not proceed to mass production, despite the public's interest and heavy lobbying by some distributors.

Related: American Tragedy: Here's Why Packard Stopped Manufacturing Cars

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via Pinterest

The acquisition of Studebaker proved to be anything but a sound investment, weighing Packard down and distracting management with high costs, debt, and low productivity. Packard eventually shelved the idea, and it died after the company got dissolved in 1959.

2 The Ralph Marano Collection Hosts The Mitchell Panther-Daytona Roadster

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via DeviantArt

The trail of the four Panther-Daytonas has become blurry over the years, with most reports only accounting for the whereabouts of two models. The Mitchell-Bentley Museum displayed the Panther Number One, previously owned by Kennard Voyles, for several years before auctioning it in 2013.

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Roadster
via Concept Cars

The Ralph Marano collection in New Jersey boasts over 65 classic Packard cars, and one of them is a Panther-Daytona Roadster. Identified as the model previously owned by Don Mitchell of Mitchell-Bentley, the heavily modified Panther-Daytona was the only model with a removable hardtop.

1 A Panther-Daytona Sold For $850,000 At Auction In 2013

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Convertible
via Barrett-Jackson

Today, the Panther-Daytona's design is an opinion splitter, with Packard aficionados generally admitting that the front end is not as elegant as the sleek body. Nonetheless, the ultra-rarity, unique construction, and provenance due to the death of the Packard Motor Car Company make the Panther-Daytona a highly coveted collectible.

1954 Packard Panther-Daytona Convertible
via Barrett-Jackson

According to Business Insider, the model auctioned in 2013 was the first Packard Panther built. One lucky buyer took home the fully restored Panther convertible for $825,000 in a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale.