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This 1953 Packard Caribbean Convertible is a very rare post-war Packard with great options and fantastic curb appeal! With history dating back to the turn of the 20th Century, the Packard Motor Car Company established itself as a preeminent builder of some of the finest, most luxurious automobiles produced by American automakers. To tout the exceptional quality of its cars, Packard debuted its famous slogan Ask the Man Who Owns One in the fall of 1901 and Packard would continue to use its slogan in the years and decades to come. Packard would go on to outlive virtually all of its American luxury auto manufacturing competitors with the onslaught of the Great Depression which led to the demises of companies such as Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg, Pierce-Arrow, Marmon, Peerless, and Stutz. Likely the reason for Packards ability to survive the Depression was its entry into the mid-level market with its One-Twenty which was targeted at more price conscious buyers and competed with the likes of Oldsmobile and Buick, as opposed to Cadillac. As the world transitioned out of World War II in the mid to late 40s, Packard struggled to solidify its identity (whether as a medium priced or luxury automaker) and it struggled to retool its production lines as fast and as inexpensively as the Big Three Detroit automakers. By the early 50s, Packard had finally begun to catch stylistically when it completely redesigned its cars both inside and out. In 1953, and under new head James Nance, Packard re-entered into the luxury market. In January of 1953, Packard debuted its semi-custom Caribbean Convertible, a car that was intended to compete with the Cadillac Eldorado, Buick Skylark, and the Oldsmobile Fiesta. Due to production problems however, shipments of the Caribbean began in March 1953. The Caribbean was based off the Henney-built Packard show car from 1952 but for the production models, Packard sent standard Packard Convertibles to Iona, Michigan-based Mitchell-Bentley for customization. Specifically, Mitchell-Bentley lowered the chassises and re-worked the bodies to turn the base model convertibles with Dick Teagues beautiful design. Up front, the Caribbeans featured a full-length, full-width hood scoop that gave the car a sportier look. The Caribbeans side profile is likely its most identifiable attribute, highlighted with enlarged front and rear flared wheel openings accented with chrome wheel well trim moldings surrounding the chrome wire wheels. The customized rear end treatment was comprised of fishtail rear quarter panels, horizontal taillights, and topped off with a Continental kit complete with a Packard script emblem. The interiors were also more deluxe with gorgeous full leather interiors. Due to the aforementioned production issues and whopping original MSRP of over $5,000, Packard produced a mere 750 Caribbean Convertibles which makes the 53 Packard Caribbean quite a rare piece of automotive history. This particular example comes to us with southern history and underwent an extensive cosmetic restoration. Under the hood on this 53 Packard Caribbean is a 327 Cubic Inch L-Head Inline 8 fed by a single 4 barrel that were said to have produced 180 horsepower when new. The 327 Straight 8 is backed by an Ultramatic Automatic transmission that makes this classic Packard an easy car for just about anybody to take for a spin around the block. Exhaust exits this Packards Straight 8 powerplant via a single exhaust port that generates a wonderfully throaty sound out of the rear tail pipe. This top-of-the-line Packard Convertible comes loaded with numerous desirable options! With power steering, maneuvering this Caribbean in and out of tight parking spaces is almost effortless whether youre parking at the local car show or youre grabbing a cool treat at the local ice cream parlor. Bringing this 53 Caribbean to a complete stop is also made easier with the addition of Easamatic power brakes especially given that this