1930 Packard Series 734 Eight Speedster Runabout

The Packard 7-34 Speedster was one of the first cars produced using the muscle car recipe, long before the term was born: a lightweight body mounted to the company's shortest chassis and fitted with a modified version of its biggest engine. In 1930, five body styles were offered at a price of $5,000. The 385 cubic-inch straight-eight was fitted with a high-compression head, high-lift camshaft, larger exhaust ports, finned exhaust manifold, a unique dual-throat carburetor, and an added camshaft-driven vacuum pump to help deliver fuel at high speeds. Horsepower was bumped from 106 horsepower to 145 giving the car an honest 100 mph capability.

The Speedster was not advertised, and quietly disappeared without fanfare; most Packard dealers weren't even aware of its existence! It is estimated that only around 36 boattails were built, with just six completely authentic examples known to exist.

This car retains body number 25 and was originally purchased at the Philadelphia Packard distributor by N. Brickerhoff of Englewood, New Jersey. It is thought that this car has been driven more than 300,000 miles. During one cross-country trip in 1995 by its current owner, he drove it just under 10,000 miles in 29 days, driving in 48 U.S. states.

The Packard 7-34 Speedster Eight was one of the first cars produced using the muscle car recipe, long before the term was born: a lightweight body mounted to the company's shortest chassis and fitted with a modified version of its biggest engine. In 1930, five body styles were offered at a price of $5,000. The 385 cubic-inch straight-eight was fitted with a high-compression head, a unique Detroit Lubricator dual-throat carburetor, and an added camshaft-driven vacuum pump to help deliver fuel at high speeds. In addition, it was equipped with finned brake drums for better cooling, and a 3.31:1 final gear ratio. The horsepower of the Deluxe Eight powerplant was bumped from 106 to 145, giving the car an honest 115 miles per hour capability. The Speedster is thought to have been developed to race at Le Mans, but those plans were dumped. It was also engineered to be the most powerful production car when introduced, but the Cadillac V-16 stole its thunder. With management more interested in building luxury cars, the Speedsters disappeared without fanfare, was not advertised, and most Packard dealers were unaware of its existence. It is estimated that only 39 boattails were built, with just six completely authentic examples known to exist.

Between June 6th and July 9th of 1995, this 1930 Packard Model 734 boat-tail speedster was driven 9,638 miles through all 48 contiguous states. The car is powered by a 385 cubic-inch, straight 8 engine offering 145 horsepower. It has a wheelbase that measures 134 inches and it has a fuel economy rating of 12.6 mpg. The total mileage on this car is over 300,000.

This 734 Speedster Runabout, with body number 25, cost $5,210 new and delivers an amazing 12.6 miles per gallon. It was originally purchased by Nelson Brinckerhoff of Englewood, New Jersey. The car was purchased from the third owner George Jepson, past president of the Classic Car Club of America, in January 1974. George had owned the car for 22 years and won a CCCA National first prize with it in 1955. It is Senior Car #5 in the CCCA. Since its purchase, it has been driven in 22 Classic Caravans as well as four Glidden Tours and the 2003 Colorado Grand. Three of its five owners (including one stint in North Africa) have driven the car an estimated 300,000+ miles.