Start with what the Packard 200 is: a 200: / 2-door coupé / 4-door Sedan (automobile) / sedan250: / 2-door hardtop ("Packard Mayfair / Mayfair") / 2-door convertible with 288 cuin Straight-eight engine, from Packard. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to John Reinhart.
The background
The Packard 200 is an automobile model produced by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan during model years 1951 and 1952. Models in the 200 designation represented the least expensive Packard model range, on the firm's shortest wheelbase, and least powerful 288 cu in (4.7 L) 8-cylinder in-line engine.
It replaced the Packard One-Twenty and the Packard One-Ten, and was renamed the Packard Clipper for the 1953 model year. Concurrently, the company also produced the Packard 250, which shared the same basic body and wheelbase as the 200, but was equipped with Packard's larger 327 cu in (5.4 L) 8-cylinder in-line engine and stylized with more upscale exterior detailing. The 250 model line consisted of the convertible and the Mayfair hardtop.
The engineering
The engine is 288 cuin Straight-eight engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 3550 -. Drive goes through a 3-speed Manual transmission / manual / 3-speed Manual transmission / manual with Overdrive (mechanics) / overdrive / 2-speed Ultramatic#1949-1954: Ultramatic Drive / Ultramatic Aut. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 122 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
In the Packard line-up the Packard 200 has a clear place: it replaced the Packard Eight (1950); it handed the line to the Packard Clipper#1953–1956 / Packard Clipper (coupé/sedan) / Packard Mayfair (1952 hardtop) / Packard Pacific (1953 hardtop); the factory was Packard Automotive Plant, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.. Its Packard stablemates include the Packard 160 and the Packard 180.