(Image/OnAllCylinders)

The first Packard automobile was built in 1899 in Warren, OH—which is pretty close to OnAllCylinders’ home base.

At the time, the Packard family was running an electric company, and they formed the Ohio Automobile Company, which in 1902 morphed into the Packard Motor Car Company.

Packard’s electrical system prowess is still evident today. Packard Electric was bought by General Motors Corp. in 1932. It exists today as Delphi Packard Electric Systems—a tier one supplier to GM.

Packard produced automobiles until 1958. (Someone in Arizona bought the Packard name and may be trying to resurrect the badge. You can learn more here.)

It was in the 1950s when the Big Three began to dominate the automotive space, forcing the independent automakers to either merge or go away. Kaiser merged with Willys. Nash merged with Hudson to form AMC. And Packard merged with Studebaker in 1954, creating Studebaker-Packard Corp.

The financials just never worked out for the independents, as GM, Ford and Chrysler pumped out cars people loved at prices they could afford.

We are nonetheless enchanted by these independent badges so rarely seen these days.

A lot of owners brought their Studebaker, Packard, Nash, AMC, and Hudson hot rods to Summit Racing’s Studebaker/Packard show this past weekend.

We promised we’d share more when we posted our Studebaker gallery, and this is what keeping that promise looks like:

Black Packard
Packard hood ornament
Nash hood ornament
1975 AMC matador
1971 AMC Ambassador
1959 Nash Rambler
1958 Packard Hawk
1958 Packard Hawk
1954 Packard
1957 Packard Clipper
1954 Nash Metropolitan
1951 Nash Rambler Airflyte
1948 Packard Club Coupe
1947 Hudson Pickup
1947 Packard Clipper
1940 Packard 120
1940 Packard
Black Packard
Black 1958 Packard Hawk
White Packard

Nash hood ornament

1975 AMC

1971 AMC Ambassador

1959 Nash Rambler

1954 Nash Metropolitan

1951 Nash Rambler Airflyte

1947 Hudson Pickup

Author: Matt Griswold

After a 10-year newspaper journalism career, Matt Griswold spent another decade writing about the automotive aftermarket and motorsports. He was part of the original OnAllCylinders editorial team when it launched in 2012.