You may not have had heard of Roger Carnahan Hatton before, but he lived a full life as many of us hope. His father founded RC Hatton Farms in 1932 in Pahokee, Florida, and Roger incorporated the business in 1964, making the farm a pioneer in developing methods of crop production, not to mention developing various types of sweet corn. And of course Roger was a gear stick.
Sadly, Roger left this world earlier this year, but not without his love for the family or his love for cars. Two of them will be on display on AutoHunter, powered by ClassicCars.com, starting Monday, November 14, and they reflect the critical eye that Roger had.
The first is really historic, a 1949 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Nineteen forty-nine was the first year of this model, but oh, what a model it was! Along with the Buick Roadmaster Riviera and the Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, the sporty Coupe de Ville was the industry’s first ‘hardtop convertible’, later known as a two-door hardtop. The Coupe de Ville was trimmed to a higher level than most Cadillacs, with power windows as standard and even the headliner of a real convertible.
Plus, this was the second year of Cadillac’s humpback rear fenders, so the hairy fins coupled with the sleek greenhouse style (due to no B-pillar) was a design triumph among American post-war cars.
In addition, 1949 was the year Cadillac, along with Oldsmobile, introduced a high-compression OHV V8 that was the first step in what would lead to the “Horsepower Race” that began in 1955, if not things embraced by the burgeoning hot rod set , NASCAR and drag racing.
Roger’s Fiesta Ivory on Fiesta Ivory Coupe de Ville, has an ivory vinyl and brown cloth interior and is, of course, powered by the new 160 horsepower 331 connected to GM’s famous Hydra-Matic Drive automatic transmission. The odometer reads 48K miles but no word on whether these are original miles on the chassis. This one hits all the buttons for an American post-war car.
Cadillac’s main competitor, Packard, used to lead the luxury segment in America, but the post-World War II era was not kind to the company due to its musty styling, a troubled merger with Studebaker and the slow development of a modern V8. Nevertheless, Packard returned in 1955 with a vengeance with fantastic style and technique. Frankly, the new Packards were heavy body redesigns from 1951, which explains the high waistline, but they were as beautiful as anything on the market.
In the field of engineering, Packard introduced several technical innovations. The first was an all-new 352 ci V8 with up to 275 horsepower. This was leading among American luxury brands, with only the 1955 Chrysler C-300 offering more horses. Twin-Ultramatic was also new, an automatic (the only one produced by an independent car manufacturer) with solid engineering, but unfortunately needed extensive maintenance to keep it working properly.
Another new feature was the four-wheel Torsion Level suspension, which set a new standard for ride and handling. While 1955 was a strong year for almost everyone, Packard’s new stable was so fantastic that sales nearly doubled from the 1954 model year. Unfortunately, the recovery was not enough and Packard would start using Studebaker bodies in 1957 and disappear after 1958 .
This 1955 Packard is a Four Hundred, a ‘Senior’ model only available as a two-door hardtop, so it would have been the equivalent of the Coupe de Ville on the Cadillac side. Finished in two-tone red and white with a black/red/white interior (with seat covers, no less), this Four Hundred features the 352 V8 with Twin-Ultramatic transmission, electric windows, AM radio and clock. The odometer reads 76K miles, although the seller has not stated if these are original miles.
So, what will it be? The original two-door hardtop or the stylish upstart? Either way, it’s clear that Roger Carnahan Hatton had taste on several levels.
The AutoHunter auctions for both the 1949 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and the 1955 Packard Four Hundred go live on Monday, November 14, 2022.