troubles at launch. Improvements had to be made as running changes, which damaged the company's once sterling reputation for quality and reliability. Packard's use of a locking torque converter was not only up to date, but more advanced than its competition at the time. However, the company did not take advantage of the opportunity to supply Ultramatics to Lincoln, Nash, Hudson, and Kaiser-Willys in the wake of the 1953 fire at the Livonia, Michigan GM Hydramatic plant that stopped GM's supply of the transmissions, when the aforementioned marques were left searching for other suppliers. However, Packard would learn from this mistake the following year, when Nash and Hudson merged to form American Motors in May 1954. Packard agreed to supply AMC with its new 320ci V8 and Twin Ultramatic transmission for 1955 in the latter company's top-line Nash Ambassador and Hudson Hornet ranges, giving both models the modern V8 engine option they desperately needed in order to keep pace with the Big Three. This agreement continued into the 1956 model year, as Packard supplied AMC its 352ci V8s equipped with the newly renamed and refined Ultramatic Drive units for the Ambassador and Hornet, but was canceled midway through the year. Unfortunately, a contract dispute and personality conflicts between George Romney at AMC and James Nance at Studebaker-Packard, led to AMC developing and launching their own, in-house AMC V8 engine range backed by automatic transmissions supplied by Borg-Warner beginning at midyear in 1956. Packard would supply Ultramatic Drive units to Studebaker for use in the 1956 Golden Hawk as a $100 option, as that model came standard with Packard's 352ci V8 engine. Unfortunately, no higher-volume Studebaker models would use either the Packard V8 or Ultramatic Drive before Curtiss-Wright ended production of both in 1956. Despite the problems of later versions, the transmission worked beautifully under the use conditions it was designed for. Packard's Gear-Start Ultramatic (1954), Twin Ultramatic (1955), and Ultramatic Drive (1956), struggled to reliably automate the low to high gear shift transition. Adding a poorly timed high clutch application and low band release over much of the allowable up-shift range resulted in many premature high clutch failures. This situation resulted in an unusual sensitivity to individual driving habits determining useful clutch life. Therefore, while the transmission was designed to physically accept a high torque V8, its control system needed further development. Packard's plans for upgrading the Ultramatic Drive further