The Patrician was the last of the "senior Packards" and was briefly available as an extended length limousine for 1953 and 1954 called the Corporate Executive which found few buyers.

It was easily identified from other Packards by its stainless steel trim, including a brightwork extension on the top rear fender referred to as "the fishtail".

The "400" designation was removed for the 1953 model year, and the Patrician continued to represent Packard's highest trim level sedans.

The Patrician also was used for the basis of the custom bodied Henney passenger models, including the 149 in (3,785 mm) 8-passenger Packard Executive Sedans and Limousines, the difference being that the latter had a partition window between the front and rear compartments.

Since the professional cars were fully coachbuilt bodies (not conversions) built on Packard's separate commercial chassis, their trim level had little to do with the Patrician except for the general appearance.

A general description implies that all Patrician models were fitted out with standard equipment when in fact they could be built to order.

[citation needed] For 1955, the entire senior line of Packards received an extensive design update that freshened the last restyling that was done in 1951.

Under designer Dick Teague, the Senior Packards received a more modern grille design, "Cathedral"-styled rear tail lights, hooded headlight housings and a new exterior trim layout that afforded Packard the ability to offer two- and three-tone paint combinations with the simplest of masking patterns.

While Packard could not afford a whole new greenhouse for the passenger compartment, new trim at the base of the rear pillar made it look like it had a redesigned roofline.

For 1956, minor appearance changes included a revised headlight housing that exaggerated the front peak further forward.