Saturday Hornets Nest AACA show . . .
Read MoreAccording to the information displayed with the car, this is from the "late" 1949 line, which makes it a Series 23 car. Specifically, this is an Eight Club Sedan, body style 2395, which was part of Packard's entry level "Eight" range, (as opposed to the mid-level "Super Eight" and upper level "Custom Eight" ranges).
More Class 26C cars, this time a pair of 1950 Fords. The car in the foreground is a 1950 DeLuxe Business Coupe, one of 35,120 produced that year. The car in the background is a 1950 Custom Crestliner 2-door sedan, one of 17,601 produced. Both of these body styles are somewhat rare considering Ford produced more than 1.2 million cars in 1950, with a majority of them being Tudor and Fordor sedans.
The photo above is of the famous Packard Cormorant hood mascot. I've also seen it called the Packard Swan. Information posted on Wikipedia suggests that the Cormorant ornament wasn't available on the "Junior" series cars, (i.e. the 200 Series and 250 Series). But I'm looking at one. Since the AACA is very particular about originality, my guess is that the Wikipedia info may need to be updated.
Power comes from Packard's 352 CID V8 that makes 260 hp. This was the first year for Packard's first ever V8 engine. Unfortunately, it would be short-lived. Packard would become a rebadged Studebaker for 1957, and would be gone altogether after 1958. The 1950s Packards are some of my all-time favorite cars.
After its 1958 debut under the Bel Air line, the Impala became its own series beginning in 1959 where it represented the upper trim level. This car is affectionately know as the Bubbletop. It's body configuration - a very thin A-pillar, no B-pillar, a very thin C-pillar, and a curved rear window and front windshield - give the appearance of a "bubble" roofline.