Studebakers on a Nash used car lot.

[BobPalma]

Being 'farm country', was there much interest in that Nash Healey? As in, was the showroom packed 5-deep all around it to get a good look at it? Craig

Gosh, Craig; I just don't know. I was eight years old during September 1954 and would have been in school on the Thursday and Friday the Healey was displayed.

The house in which we lived at the time was close to the school but at least a mile from the dealership. So, for whatever reason, I didn't happen to get over to the showroom when the Healey was there, so I don't know what kind of response they got to having it on display. I don't remember seeing the Healey personally, so it must've came and went [back to the zone rep] quickly.

Most of my interest in what they sold was Packard and then, later, Studebaker. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the Nash offerings , although Dad sold a surprising number of Nashes, especially Ramblers and Metropolitans. BP

[8E45E]

Gosh, Craig; I just don't know. I was eight years old during September 1954 and would have been in school on the Thursday and Friday the Healey was displayed. So, for whatever reason, I didn't happen to get over to the showroom when the Healey was there, so I don't know what kind of response they got to having it on display. I don't remember seeing the Healey personally, so it must've came and went [back to the zone rep] quickly.

Thanks, Bob.

I guess if it had been a big enough showroom traffic-builder while you were in school, your dad would have mentioned it at the dinner table that night.

Craig

[WinM1895]

Chrysler used 'country' in a model name before the second world war when they introduced the Town & Country, and Ford started to use the term 'Country Squire' for their wood trim wagons from 1950-on. When the all-steel Ford wagon came out in 1952, they labeled the mid-range wagon a Country Sedan a few years before Packard did.

Country Squire introduced in 1951. 1949/51's had an all steel body (excepting the 1949 tailgate), the wood rails bolted to the body, the 'walnut' inserts were decals.

1952/54 Mainline 'price leader' 2dr wagons were called Ranch Wagons, Country Sedan 4 door wagon introduced in 1955.

It seems to me that 1952 Squires had wood rails, 1953 was the first year with fiberglass rails.

Of course the 'Packard' Country Sedan is really a 'rebadged' Studebaker, Packard Motor Car Co. had nothing to do with it.

[TWChamp]

My dad bought a 1950 Champion new in 1950, then traded it in on a new 1954 Ford Country Squire wagon.
My dad hated that Ford so much that within a few days he went back to the dealer to buy back his Champion.
He kept driving the Champion as his work car, but used the Ford when the whole family had to go somewhere.

[Guido]

Bob P., I thought your dad sold Willys as well?

[BobPalma]

Bob P., I thought your dad sold Willys as well?

Yes he did, Gary; you remember correctly. Dad and Uncle Milt added Kaiser and Willys immediately after getting the Packard franchise, largely to have an economy car and a truck line of some sort. Nash came along about nine months later, all at 141 East Court Street, by themselves.

With all that, they needed a bigger building than the one shown in the above photos.

About that time (spring 1955), the Studebaker dealer (Paris Sales Company, owned by Harry Rhoads) about three blocks away was in bad shape financially. 1953 and, especially, 1954 had been rough sledding for Studebaker dealers, although Harry did manage to sell a few trucks in a primarily farm community.

But Harry had a much better location on the southbound portion of the major north-south highway through town; Illinois Route 1. Route 1 split north of town into two one-way streets through town (Main, northbound, and Central, southbound) and then rejoined on the south side.

Harry's building at 232 North Central was at least twice the size of theirs at 141 East Court Street and had an adjacent used car lot; plenty of capacity for both endeavors with an on-site used car lot, so they could quit paying rent for a separate used car lot miles from the new-car dealership. Here's Paris Sales Company, Studebaker only at that time, in the spring of 1954. The building has since been demolished and is now an open, grassy lot: (Click to enlarge.)



So they approached Harry about merging the two dealerships. He was understandably all ears ($$$$) and so they merged, with Dad and Uncle Milt owning 85% of the partnership! The resulting dealership, renamed Palma-Rhoads Motors, opened June 1, 1955, per this ad in that day's edition of The Paris Beacon-News: (Click to enlarge.)



Kaiser and Willys were pretty well dead by June 1, 1955, so the only makes they handled at Palma-Rhoads Motors were Packard, Nash, and Studebaker. Sadly, with "real" Packards to be no more effective with the 1957 models, Palma-Rhoads Motors was dissolved exactly 14 months later :



And that was that!

If you're interested, their complete story is now available on line through the Hemmings Classic Car archives. Here's that article:

https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2010/05/Lu-Palma/3197351.html

Best. BP

[DougHolverson]

It seemed that all AMC cars exuded the same Nash philosophy of providing a good value for money with a bit of delightful weirdness thrown on top.

So wouldn't that be a lot like Studebaker, except that Studebaker had its own distinctive flavor of weirdness?

[Stude Shoo-wop!]

So wouldn't that be a lot like Studebaker, except that Studebaker had its own distinctive flavor of weirdness?

Not exactly. While still a good value, I don't feel as though Studebaker ponied up quite as much in that field. What Studebaker gave up in value they made up for in style. Also, the distinctive flavor of weirdness concept you mentioned is spot on. Studebaker is the old rancher who sings Johnny Cash songs to himself while giving a thousand-yard stare to the field of cacti in a still desert night while AMC is the young awkward fellow who makes interesting (if not always beautiful artwork) and is proud of it. This artwork, in turn, helps him lose his awkwardness and become unabashedly comfortable in his own skin.

[benaslopoke]

The 1953 Studebaker "flair" slapped me up side of the head my junior year in high school and I've had it ever since.. Daddy, being the ever vigil refused the calling of my obsession with them.. Instead he was right as my wreckless driving was no match for a Stude.. His choice for my driving skill was a 1949, a 1950 and a 1951 NASH AMBASSADOR for the family car, built like a TANK!!