Packard Caribbean History
Packard's glamorous halo convertible (1953–1956) — a limited-production rival to the Cadillac Eldorado, ending with a 310-hp V8.
Photo: “1956 Packard Caribbean Convertible (7833868298).jpg” by Mustang Joe / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0
History
The Packard Caribbean debuted for 1953 as a low-production luxury convertible, Packard's answer to the Cadillac Eldorado and Chrysler Imperial — a halo car meant to cast a modern, fashionable glow over a marque some had begun to see as stodgy. The first cars used Packard's 327-cubic-inch straight-eight 'Thunderbolt' engine.
Each year the Caribbean grew more powerful and more striking: a 359 straight-eight for 1954, then Packard's new OHV V8 — 352 then 374 cubic inches — for 1955–1956, the 1956 car making 310 hp, among the highest-rated US engines of its year. A hardtop joined the convertible for 1956. Production was always tiny (just 750 in 1953, 400 in 1954), making the Caribbean one of the most collectible of all 1950s Packards.
Generations
Packard Caribbean · Caribbean (halo convertible)
Photo: “1956 Packard Caribbean Convertible (7833868298).jpg” by Mustang Joe / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0
Packard's low-production halo car, answering the Cadillac Eldorado — from the 327 straight-eight of 1953 to the 310-hp 374 OHV V8 of 1956, with a hardtop added for the final year.
1953 Photo: “1953 Packard Caribbean Convertible (34809384375).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
1954 Photo: “1954 Packard Caribbean (7017913563).jpg” by Spanish Coches / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
1955 Photo: “1955PackardCaribbeanConvertableFrontLeft.jpg” by Infrogmation of New Orleans / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
1956 Photo: “56 Packard Caribbean (6087804826).jpg” by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Body styles
- Convertible
- Hardtop
Notable special editions & performance variants
Caribbean (1956 dual four-barrel V8)
Final-year Caribbean with the 374-cubic-inch OHV V8 making 310 hp (twin four-barrel carburetors) — among the highest-rated US production engines of 1956; offered as both convertible and hardtop.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Packard Caribbean
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.