Packard was not necessarily known for sporty cars, yet by the early 1950s was experimenting with the very of-the-moment sports car concept, resulting in the striking Pan American show car of 1952. Alas, with its costly sectioned bodywork and lack of a rear seat, the Pan American was a bit too far afield for the automaker and not greenlit for full production. It did, however, lead directly to the Packard Caribbean, which used many Pan American styling cues in a more practical package. Each of these “factory custom” cars was built by Mitchell-Bentley of Ionia, Michigan, which gave them a hood with a prominent full-width scoop, a marked lack of side chrome, special flared wheel openings, and Senior-style horizontal taillights. Under the hood was Packard’s legendarily smooth 327-cubic-inch inline eight-cylinder engine, producing 180 horsepower and considerable torque.

A substantial $5,210 price tag and limited run of just 750 examples for its 1953 debut ensured that the Caribbean was, and would remain, a highly exclusive automobile.

The Caribbean offered here was acquired for the Vehicle Vault Collection in early 2014 from a seller in Missouri and has remained on display in the collection since. Restored some years ago, it is finished in Matador Maroon Metallic—one of four official colors available on the model—over maroon and white leather upholstery, with a white vinyl top and matching boot cover. It is equipped with a heater/defroster and signal-seeking push-button AM radio. At the time of cataloguing, its odometer displayed 51,873 miles.

A Caribbean is a necessary part of any Packard enthusiast’s collection, representing the last great hand-built “custom” automobile produced by one of America’s most prestigious automakers, in every bit the sporty tradition of the Dietrichs and LeBarons of decades past. This is a fine example, worthy of enjoyment in regional shows or in comfortable highway touring.