Packard

US, 1899 – 1958

(1) New York & Ohio Automobile Co, Warren, Ohio, 1899 – 1901

(2) Ohio Automobile Co, Warren, Ohio, 1901 – 1902

(3) Packard Motor Car Co, Warren, Ohio, 1902 – 1903

(4) Packard Motor Car Co, Detroit, Mich., 1903 – 1955

(5) Studebaker – Packard Corp, Detroit, Mich., 1955 – 1958

The brothers J.W. and W.D. Packard bought a Winton in 1898 and determined to improve upon it. The result was the first 12hp Packard car of 1899. This Packard car followed traditional early-American lines with a single horizontal cylinder, central chain drive, buggy styling and wire wheels, but the Packard car was more advanced than its competitors in having a 3-speed and reverse gearbox and automatic spark advance. This gave way to the wheel-steered Model C Packard car, which proved capable of 40mph. An even more powerful Packard car, a single old for $3.000 in 1903 and on one of these Fetch and Krarup Packard cars successfully drove from San Francisco to New York in 61 days. In the same year a very big Packard car four of over 12 litres’ capacity was designed on European lines by Charles Schmidt, late of Mors. This Packard car sold for $7.500 and led to the famous Packard Model L, the first Packard car to bear the classic Packard radiator. This Packard car had side valves in an L-head and the gearbox was mounted in unit with the back axle; a similar engine was used in the racing car Gray Wolf, a streamlined lightweight Packard car capable of 75mph. 1906 Packard cars had T-head engines and magneto ignition in place of coil; engine capacity was 5¾-litres, increasing to 7-litres Packard cars in 1907 with the introduction of the famous ‘Packard 30’, from which 60bhp was claimed. For the next few years these high-quality four-cylinder Packard cars engaged all Packard’s attentions, the ‘Packard 30’ at $4.200 being joined by a short-wheelbase Packard 18 intended for use as a town carriage. Dry-plate clutches were adopted on Packard cars in 1910 and in 1911 a third model joined the range: Packard cars first six, the 7¼-litre ‘Packard48’.

Six-cylinder Packard cars only were offered in 1913, when electric lighting and starting were standardized. Spiral bevel final drive followed in 1914. Revolutionary was the world’s first series-production 12-cylinder, the Packard Twin-Six, which Packard car was announced in 1915 for 1916: this Packard car was also the first American touring car to use aluminium pistons and was quite modestly priced at $2.600. First series Packard cars had the unusual combination of left-hand drive and left-hand gear-change, abandoned on later series Packard car which also had detachable cylinder heads. A special racing car version of the Packard car, the 905 with a much bigger engine, recorded 149.9mph in the hands of Ralph de Palma at Daytona in 1919. From 1916 to 1920 only the Packard Twin Six was made, but this Packard car was then joined by a straightforward sv Single-Six selling from $2.350 up. This Packard car was given front-wheel brakes as standard replaced the Packard Twin-six during 1923; the Packard car came in two wheelbase lengths. A tourer Packard car cost $3.750 and it was the ancestor of the whole line of ‘Senior’ Packard cars up to 1939. 1925 Packard cars had centralized chassis lubrication and over 40.000 sixes were sold, as against less than 5.700 eights. Innovations on Packard cars for 1927 were a hypoid back axle, and a bigger 8-cylinder engine of 6.3-litres’ capacity, developing 106bhp. Only eight-cylinder Packard car were made in 1929, in which year a 5.3-litre Standard model was catalogued at $2.435, while in 1930 a limited series of ‘Packard 734’ sports models with high axle ratio, 145 bhp engines and 4-speed gearboxes was introduced. 1932 Packard cars had V-radiators. An inexpensive Packard Light 8 at $1.750, using the 5.3-litre engine, proved uneconomic to make, but there was also an excellent 7-litre V12 and all Packard cars had synchromesh gearboxes and vacuum-servo brakes. The Packard car company’s styling with its traditional radiator shape continued up to 1939. 

In 1935 the Packard car company made a bid for the low-priced market with the 3.7-litre straight-8 ‘Packard 120’ with hydraulic brakes and independent front suspension, priced from $980, as against $2.475 for the Packard Standard-eight, $2.990 for the Packard Super-eight and $3.820 for the Twelve. The new Packard car model accounted for 24.995 of the 31.889 cars sold by Packard cars that year and was joined two seasons later by a very similar 3.6-litre six, the ‘115’ at $860; this and the ‘120’, now enlarged to 4.6-litres, were made in a separate factory. In 1938, 50 percent of the Packard car company’s labour force was engaged in making the senior Packard cars which accounted for no more than 8 percent of total production.

In 1937 hydraulic brakes and independent front suspension were standardized on Packard cars throughout the range. 1939 was the last year of the true senior Packard cars; column change was introduced and overdrive was available on all Packard cars except the Twelve. Air conditioning was a 1940 option and 1941 brought the first of the handsome Packard Clipper line, made in 4-litre 6-cylinder and 4.6-litre straight-8 versions. Expensive Packard cars were still made, with custom bodywork by Rollson, Le Baron and Darrin available on the 5.8-litre chassis. During World War 2, body dies for the bigger, conventionally-bodied Packard cars were sold to the Soviet Government, the result being the 1945 Z.I.S.

Production of Packard cars was resumed with the Clipper 6 and 8 in 1946, but Packard never regained their former pre-eminence. Styling was unfortunate and the Packard car company retained the old straight-8 until 1954, though they evolved their own ‘Ultramatic’ automatic transmission in 1949 and had power brakes, steering and window lifts in 1954. Super-luxury Packard cars included the eight-seater Executive limousine at $6.900 in 1953 and the big Caribbean convertible.

The 1954 merger of Packard cars with Studebaker brought about a new 260bhp, ohv V8 with an ingenious inter-linked torsion-level suspension, while engines were sold to American Motors for their Nash and Hudson lines. Sales fell to a depressing 13.000 in 1956 and though the Packard lingered on until 1958, the last two seasons’ cars were nothing more than disguised Studebakers.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

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