Just 400 Packard Caribbeans were built for 1954, the exclusive convertible’s second year of production. In addition to a refreshed exterior design, the 1954 models received, as with all Senior Packards, a one-year-only, 359-cubic-inch straight-eight engine paired with a standard Ultramatic transmission. This would be the final year for Packard’s legendary straight-eight; 1954’s 359, with an aluminum head and a four-barrel carburetor, did its lineage proud while producing an impressive 330 pound-feet of torque. And with nine main bearings, it did it all extremely smoothly.

Research on file traces this well-preserved Caribbean back to a Mrs. Beverly F. Grose of St. Joseph, Michigan, recorded as the daughter of its original owner. It apparently remained in the Midwest until 1981, when it departed for Florida and later, North Carolina. In 2009, after acquisition by a private family collection in the Pacific Northwest, it was serviced by Green Enterprises of Kent, Washington. In addition to typical service items and fluid changes, invoices on file show that the car’s Ultramatic transmission, as well as the water pump and distributor, were rebuilt. Its rear end and axle have been replaced with units believed to have been sourced from an earlier Packard.

Overall, this Caribbean is much as it was when it left the factory: Original paint and trim markings still visible on the side of the glovebox confirm that it wears its factory exterior colors of Polaris Blue and Sahara Sand over a Blue and White Genuine Leather interior. Paintwork, brightwork, and upholstery display only modest signs of age and wear. The engine retains its proper 359-specific aluminum head, which was often replaced in-period with a more readily available cast iron head over the course of routine maintenance.

All is consistent with the 8,546 miles indicated at cataloguing, believed to be original (and further supported by a previous title copy on file). The U.S. Royal Air Ride whitewall tires wrapped around Kelsey Hayes wire wheels—including the unused spare in the rear continental kit—are too old to bear a standardized date code and are of the correct type originally fitted to this era’s Packards. These, too, are understood to be original!

Rare and flamboyant, the 1954 Caribbean is among the last great offerings of a hallowed Detroit marque. An ideal candidate for preservation class exhibition or appreciation within a Packard-focused collection, this low-mileage example represents one of the most compelling examples of a rare breed presently available.