Lecture on Packard motors’ demise

Staff report

WARREN

The National Packard Museum, 1899 Mahoning Ave. NW, will present a lecture titled on the demise of the Packard Motor Car Co. at noon April 21.

The lecture is part of the museum’s educational seminar series and is free with paid admission to the museum.

Titled “Who Killed Packard”,” the lecture will be presented by John Marino, a retired Kent State University professor and a long-time member of the Society of Automotive Historians.

The legendary automaker closed in 1958, and historians have long debated why.

Was it management’s decision to continue production of a lower-priced car after the Depression? Was it stodgy post-war styling and outdated engine technology or was it the loss of lucrative defense contracts? Perhaps it was the ill-advised merger with Studebaker that doomed Packard?

Marino will lead a debate that will offer insight into the company’s demise.

After the seminar concludes, guests are encouraged to experience the museum’s 18th annual Antique Motorcycle Exhibit. Titled “The Motor,” the exhibit traces the evolution of the motorcycle engine, which dates back to 1885 Germany, when Gottlieb Daimler first mounted a single-cylinder engine onto a bicycle frame.

“The Motor,” which runs through May 20, is sponsored by the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau, The Lake Erie Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America, Triumph of Warren and the Little Wing Cafe.

The National Packard Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission is $8 ($5 for seniors and children age 7-12). Cameras and flash photography are welcome. For group rates or information, go to packardmuseum.org or call 330-394-1899.