Rome Arnold, 65, a former investment banker who lives in Southampton, NY, on his 1953 Packard Caribbean, as AJ Baime relates.
Unlike today, in the 1980s, there were many restored classic cars that didn’t cost a lot of money. I lived in Manhattan and was looking for something to use over the weekend to get to the beach. I pulled out the standard catalog of American cars. That’s when I discovered the Caribbean.
It was built during an exciting time in American auto design. In 1953, Packard debuted in the Caribbean, Buick debuted the Skylark, and Cadillac launched the Eldorado. All were limited edition cars; the latter two were long-standing models for the brands, but the Caribbean not so much as the Packard brand soon disappeared.
Rome Arnold spent two years looking for a Caribbean in the stick color Matador Maroon. He found this one in Mound, Minn.
Photo:
Gordon M. Grant for the Wall Street Journal
Mr. Arnold, near his home in Southampton, NY. He’s used the Packard at around 15 weddings, including his own in 1991.
Photo:
Gordon M. Grant for the Wall Street Journal
For me, the Caribbean was the most interesting. It was designed by a man named Dick Teague, who later became famous for developing the AMC Pacer. To create the Caribbean, Teague and his team took a standard Packard convertible and heavily customized it. They broke with tradition: there is no hood ornament, and the word Caribbean is nowhere to be found on the 1953 model. It had everything that was a big deal in 1953: power steering, brakes, convertible top, adjustable seats, retractable antenna, power windows.
Finding one wouldn’t be easy. Packard only built 750 in 1953. There were only four standard colors – Matador Maroon, Sahara Sand, Polaris Blue and Gulf Green. I just liked the maroon. So I went looking for one in this color.
Packard’s steering wheel and dashboard. The car has a manual gearshift lever that is mounted on the steering column.
Photo:
Gordon M. Grant for the Wall Street Journal
The convertible was equipped with a 327 cubic inch eight-cylinder engine. The well-known American car designer Dick Teague was responsible for the shape.
Photo:
Gordon M. Grant for the Wall Street Journal
After a two year search, I found my car in 1986 in Mound, Minnesota. I flew out, bought it for $ 17,500, and drove it home. On the way the generator’s alternator came on and told me the battery wasn’t charging. So I was afraid of range long before that was a thing. In the end I had to give the car a jump start and got home safely.
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I lived in Manhattan and rented a detached garage in Astoria, Queens. When I got there after my 25-hour drive, I quickly discovered that the Caribbean was two inches longer than the garage. So that required a rethink.
I’ve been driving the car regularly for 35 years. In 1989 a family friend asked if I would use the Caribbean to chauffeur him and his fiancée from church to the reception on their wedding day. I said sure without realizing that this was going to become a family tradition. The car has now attended about 15 weddings for family friends only, all in the Hamptons. I had the newlyweds sign a protocol for each of them.
Aaron Matthew Zweig and Sunny Kneissl Zweig, among the many friends of Rome Arnold’s family who used his car at their Sagaponack, NY 2011 weddings.
Photo:
lynne brubaker photography
At a wedding two years ago, I showed a young couple the spot on the record where the bride’s parents had signed 30 years ago. I had used the Caribbean at their wedding – two generations of the same family. I even used the car at my own wedding in 1991.
Buying the Caribbean sparked a lifelong fascination with old cars. I’ve bought, restored, and sold a lot. But the Caribbean is still in my garage.
Write to AJ Baime at myride@wsj.com
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