“Introducing America’s Smartest Sports Car” is how Packard headlined select print ads in 1953. They continued with “Packard presents the Caribbean, combining distinctive European styling and responsiveness with well-loved American comfort and stamina. This spirited young Packard Caribbean is a car of sterling worth built in Packard’s rich tradition of craftsmanship and engineering.”

Renowned designer Richard Teague penned the handsome lines of the Packard Caribbean, using elements inspired in part by the Packard Pan American, a show car that was displayed at the 1952 New York Auto Show. Only 750 examples – all convertibles – were produced in this first year of availability. This stunning and rare car is powered by a 327-cid, 180-hp inline eight-cylinder engine with a four-barrel carburetor and is connected to an automatic transmission.

Styling elements include circular rear wheel cutouts with a molding that extends from the front to rear, a distinctive wide hood scoop, Continental kit and real Packard chromed wire wheels with wide whitewall radial tires. Power brakes and steering are part of the luxury appointments, as is the pushbutton AM radio and power-operated top. The Black paint with black top, plus black and green interior finish add to the elegance.

The Black example being offered is reported to be in “number one concours quality” where “everything is restored to stock specifications,” plus having all of the electrical system working as they should, as well as the car driving in a perfect fashion. Priced at $5,200 when new, Caribbeans are generally regarded as the most valuable of the postwar Packards. This is truly a limited edition in motorcars as fine as skill and painstaking care can build.