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1926 Packard Eight news, pictures, and information

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Brothers James and William Packard formed the New York and Ohio Automobile Co. based in Warren, Ohio in 1899. In 1902 it became the Packard Motor Co. Packard aimed very much for the top end of the market. During the early 1920s, Packard were very much in vogue, by 1928 over 50,000 cars were being built per year.

This 1926 Packard has spring suspension and shock absorbers. It participated in the Mount Washington Driving Rally. The original price was $3,800.
A company whose name has always been recognized for its production of luxury automobile, the Packard Motors Company was based in Detroit Michigan before shifting to the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana.

Producing their first automobiles in 1899, the brand continued on the market until 1958. Today, Packard vehicles are still sought out as priceless collective by fans.

Entering the 1940's with an entire new style and more reasonable prices, the Packard was now innovated with eletro-matic clutch Econo-Drive and over drive.

Introducing a less expensive line of car, the Clipper line was introduced in 1941. A direct competitor to the Cadillac 61 Series, the Clipper is responsible for moving Packard's sales ahead of both Cadillac and LaSalle sales combined.


On February 7, 1942, all passenger car production was halted by the U.S. Government and Packard switched to war production. At the end of the war in 1945, Packard wartime production had reached 55,000 aircraft engines and more than 12,000 marine engines.

Besides producing aircraft and marine engines, Packard also developed a jet engine. Packard-Henney ambulances were also used extensively throughout the war, and Packard staff engines were utilized by Generals Patton, Eisenhower and MacArthur.

The Packard facility had managed to make $33 million during the war through their jet and aircraft engine sales and decided to use the money to renovate the facility. Costing approximately $2 million dollars, everything was completely renovated.

Possibly the most important period in Packard's history, after the war ended the company was stepped out of the role of master car engine builder. They were now faced with intense competition from the 'Big Three'.

By the end of the war, Packard had a total of 1793 dealers, the most dealers in its history, and all were hungry for cars.

At the beginning of the war, the Clipper had been exceptionally modern and a vehicle that everyone wanted. Following the war, the four year old design now seemed old and outdated.

The Clipper Eight Standard (2101) and the Clipper Eight Deluxe (2111) were introduced October 19, 1945.

With a small engine that only measured 282 cubic inches, two body styles were available on the 120' Clipper chassis 2101.

A 4-door touring sedan and a 2-door sedan, with body numbers 1695 and 1692, both came on a 120' wheelbase.

The price of these vehicles ranged from $1,500 to $2,150.

A continuation of the Clippers that were introduced prior to the war, the
Packard eight models were an effort to modernize the model and speed up production.

Concentrating on the Clipper design and deciding to drop all other lines, including the very Packard looking senior cars of the early 1940's, the new series would still have to provide the luxury synonymous with the Packard name. Packard had a very affluent clientele that kept high standards.

In 1946, the introduction of the Clipper Six 2100 and 2103, and the Super Clipper 2103 and Customer Super Clipper 2106 was launched. The following year brought out the new Super Eight and Custom convertibles.

The older bodies were sold to Russia where they formed the foundation for the Ziss cars.

Purchasing the whole lot, including the 110, 120, 160 and the 180, everyone benefited from this venture. Packard no longer had any use for the older models, and their value was little more than scrap.

During the 1946 and 1947 model years, the factory had returned to vehicle production, but unfortunately the slow start affected production. A total of 80,660 Packards are made for ‘46 and ‘47.

Making it the widest vehicle in production at the time Clippers were now designed a foot wider than tall.

In 1949, the 23rd series Eight and Deluxe Eight were introduced by Packard. A total of 117,000 cars were sold this year, though the luxury car sale had dropped substantially.

Briggs Manufacturing, a maker of Packard vehicle bodies, was bought out by Chrysler in 1953. Choosing not to continue the present arrangement between Briggs and Packard, Packard was forced to locate another body maker quickly. Fortunately, a deal was arranged with Chrysler in 1955 to temporarily produce Packard bodies.

In November of 1955, the 56th Series Packard Patrician and 400 and the Caribbean were introduced by Packard. The last Packard cars ever produced, June 25, 1956 marked the end of Packard.

By Jessica Donaldson
Alvan Macauley became president of the Packard Motor Car Company in 1916 when Henry Joy retired. Macauley would remain in that position until 1938.

Packard's flagship vehicle during the 1910s and 1920s was the Twin Six and it was a very popular vehicle with those who could afford it. To stimulate sales, generate additional revenue, and to boost production, Packard created a scaled-down version, offered at a lower price, called the Single Six. It was introduced in the fall of 1920 and it was comprised of an engine that that half the cylinders of its twin-six counterpart.

Though this was an opportunity for more of the public to own a Packard, Macauley and his board of directors were shocked to find that the Single Six had not met sales expectations. In the post-War era, the economy had entered a depression, resulting in slow sales throughout the industry, and Packard being left with half of the Single Six models produced, unsold, and taking up space in dealer inventory.

The sales for the Twin Six remained solid, with 1921 being another fantastic year for the big twelve cylinder vehicle. Packard trucks also sold well, helping Packard rebound from the Single Six models.

For 1922, Packard introduced a new version of the Single Six. They had analyzed the first series of the Single Six and determined that slow sales were the result of a number of issues customers had with the vehicle. It was believed that the wheelbase length and its styling were not up to par for customers' demands. Maximum occupant capacity was limited to just five individuals. The Second Series rectified these issues, and was offered in two wheelbase sizes, the 126- and 133-inch. A seven-passenger model was also available.

Production of the Second Series was not ready in time for the start of the 1922 model year, so Packard carried over their Model 116 Sixes from the prior year, which they had 1,384 units still remaining.

When the Second Series was finally ready for consumer consumption, it was immediately obvious that Macauley and their stylists were headed in the right direction. The Second Series Six received great reviews for its sporty and attractive styling. In the first forty days, Packard realized $10 million in retail sales. Within a few months, production was unable to keep with demand and a backlog of orders continued to accumulate.

In 1924 the Single Eight was introduced and it was the first volume-produced American automobile to house an eight-cylinder engine and be outfitted with four-wheel brakes. In 1925, the Single Eight became the Eight, and the six-cylinder line was renamed to the Six.

The Eight was available in either a 136- or 143-inch size and offered with 12 cataloged factory bodies. The opportunity to take the rolling chassis to a custom coachbuilder was also made available to the customers. A special custom catalog offered a four-passenger sedan cabriolet by Judkins, town cabriolet by Fleetwood, a five-passenger stationary town cabriolet by Derham, a seven-passenger limousine sedan by Holbrook, and three custom models designed by the legendary designer, Dietrich.

The Six was available in a variety of configurations, sizes, and could even be taken to custom coachbuilders to be bodied to customer scrutinizing specifications.

Sales during the mid-1920s were good for many of the companies that had weathered the poor economic times of the early 1920s. For Packard, the increase in sales in their Six Models meant that prices were able to be reduced. Packard reduced the price of the Six by more than half, in so doing, making it available to more consumers. For 1926, the Six was available in a variety of paint colors of which the consumer was able to select.

As the world closed out the 1920s and began the 1930s, another depression was on the horizon. For many automakers, these would be their final years. Sales slowed considerably for Packard and other marques in 1930; Packard attempted to stimulate sales by dropping the price on all models by $400. Sadly, this did little to attract new buyers. With some of the greatest stylists in the industry, and financial stability going into the Depression, Packard was able to survive this difficult time, and even created what are arguably some of their finest and most memorable creations. Another advantage for this independent marque was a single production line with inter-changeability between models. This helped keep costs to a minimum.

As the Depression came to a close, Packard began offering their first sub-$1,000 car, beginning in 1935. It was dubbed the Packard 120 and sales were exceptional, with more than triple the amount in 1935, and doubling again in 1936. Packard's Junior model '120's were outselling the senior line, consisting of the Twelve, Super Eight, and Eight, by over 10 times.

One-Twenty
The Packard One-Twenty was produced from 1935 through 1937 and again from 1939 through 1941. The One-Twenty signified Packard's move into the mid-priced eight cylinder market; a highly competitive segment that was filled with many marques with numerous offerings, options and price ranges. The move had been made due to financial reasons and the need to stay competitive; the Great Depression was taking its toll on the entire automotive industry but mostly on the high priced manufactures. The lower cost marques also had a tough time but a few were still able to move a considerable amounts of products and wade out this terrible time in history.

The One-Twenty was quickly designed, created, and made ready for sale. First offered in 1935, it could be purchased in numerous body styles that included coupes, convertibles, and two- and four-door configurations. Under the hood lurked an L-Head eight cylinder engine capable of producing 110 horsepower. The price range was competitive, with prices ranging from the mid $900's to the low-$1000's. This combination of mid-cost and adorned with the Packard nameplate proved to be the right combination and in its first year nearly 25,000 examples were created. The rest of the Packard model lines only accumulated to around 7000 examples being sold.

For 1936 Packard increased the displacement of the engine and horsepower rose to 120 and gave the One-Twenty a top speed of 85 mph. A convertible four-door sedan was added to the line-up with a $1395 price tag, making it the most expensive One-Twenty body style. Sales continued to be strong and more than doubled over the prior year. This would be the best sales year for the Packard One-Twenty.

Packard introduced the Six in 1937. This was the first time in ten years that a six-cylinder engine could be found in a Packard. The reasoning was again economics and the constant struggle to stay in business by offering a quality product at a reasonable price. The Packard Six meant that the One-Twenty was to move higher up the market, being offered with more amenities and options. Two of these options were the 'C' and 'CD' trim levels. A wood-bodied station wagon and Touring Sedan were added to the line-up. A limousine body style, sitting atop a 138 inch wheelbase was also available for the first time, setting the buyer back a hefty $2000. There were 50,100 examples of all One-Twenty body styles producing during this year.

To conform to Packard's standard naming conventions, the One-Twenty was known as the Packard Eight for 1938. A year later, it was back to being called the One-Twenty. There were still a slew of body styles to choose from, able to satisfy all of their customer's desires and needs. The price range was competitive, costing from around $1100 to $1856. Though the product and the price were good, sales were slow with only 17,647 units being produced. The recession was taking its toll. Packard had even introduced many new mechanical improvements such as placing the shifter on the column rather than on the floor. For the following years, sales began to rise again, now amassing to 28,138 examples being produced. The name One-Twenty was now hyphenated.

For 1941 Packard offered the One-Twenty in eight body styles. The styling had been modified from the prior years, with the headlamps now residing in and on the fenders.

The One-Ten and One-Twenty were both dropped in 1942 and their names were merged with the Packard Six and Packard Eight lines. The One-Twenty had in production for seven years and 175,027 examples were produced.

Packard Six
The Packard Six, Packard's first six-cylinder engine in ten years, was introduced in 1937 and produced until 1947. In its first year in production it accounted for over half of Packard's total production, selling 65,400 examples. Production and profits continued to climb, jobs were saved, and the company was moving away from extinction which many of their competitors had succumbed.

The Six conformed to Packard's reputation for quality and style. They had an all-steel body, independent 'Safe-T-fleX' front suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic brakes. The engine displaced 237 cubic-inches and produced 100 horsepower. Much of the drivetrain, including the engine and transmission, were derived or borrowed from the One Twenty. Their sticker prices, however, were different. The One Twenty would set the buyer back nearly $1,000 while the Sixes starting price was $795. This was just $170 more than a Ford.

The Six Models were priced at such a discounted rate because they did not have as many amenities or features as the One Twenty. It had less chrome on the dashboard, no chrome on the hood louvers, smaller tires, no broadcloth upholstery, and no side-mounted spare tires. They were built atop a 115-inch wheelbase and were 'every inch a Packard.'

In 1938 Packard moved the Six up-market. This proved to be a poor move for the Six and sales reflected. Sales for the six reached just 30,000 examples.

In 1939 an optional overdrive, called 'Econo-Drive' and column-mounted 'Handi-Shift' was offered as optional equipment. The 'Handi-Shift' proved to be problematic and replacement kits were offered by the factory to help alleviate the mechanical problems. Ride and handling improved in 1939 with the addition of a fifth shock absorber in the rear. Sales finally began improving, now amassing 76,000 cars for the entire Packard production.

The Packard One-Ten, also written as 110, was produced in 1940 and 1941. It was a range of six-cylinder automobiles that were created as a replacement for the Packard Six. The Six Series had been introduced by Packard in 1937 after being out of the market for ten years. The re-introduction of the six-cylinder cars was in response to The Great Depression and the need to stimulate sales.

The less expensive Packard may have hurt Packard's prestigious name, but it did help give the company some financial stability. They were constructed on a shorter wheelbase and offered in a wide range of body styles, including both two and four-door sedans, station wagon, and convertibles.

The first year of its introduction yielded 62,300 units; following on this success Packard introduced a more expanded line for 1941, which included a second trim level called the Deluxe. Also on the One-Ten model line, Packard added a taxi line.

Standard options on the One-Ten included air-conditioning, spotlight, radio and heater.

For 1942, Packard reverted back to its old naming scheme and changed the One-Ten to the Packard Six. The six-cylinder would remain available until after 1947, though it was still available in taxicabs. The six-cylinder unit could also be purchased in a few export sedans, marine applications, and White trucks.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2012
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