1937 Packard 120CD 1937 Packard 120CD 1937 Packard 120CD

View more photos
Drophead Coupe
Coachwork: Henri Chapron
 
This unrestored 1937 Packard has coachwork by Chapron of Paris. Henri Chapron, master coachbuilder, crafted this elegant body on the smaller Packard series. This 'Drop Head Coupe' (Convertible Victoria) is the only known example in the world. It survived the war years in Sweden and only came to the USA in 2000. While in Europe, this car competed in various vintage events including the 'Rallye Monte-Carlo de Voitures Aciennes.'

Author Hugo Pfau featured this car in his book, 'The Coachbuilt Packard.' The chassis is a Delux 120 with a 120-inch wheelbase and features a 282 cubic inch in-line, eight-cylinder engine developing 120 horsepower. The convertible top has a unique 'Three Position' design, which allows the car to be driven with the top all the way down or up, and the top half up. This unrestored vehicle makes an excellent touring car.
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 tool 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. 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.

1937 Packard 120CD

Year1937
MakePackard
Model120CD
Body StyleDrophead Coupe
Engine LocationFront
Drive TypeRear Wheel
Body / ChassisUnit Steel
Production Years for Series1935 - 1937
Coach WorkHenri Chapron
Price$1,355.00
Weight3630 lbs | 1646.6 kg
Combined MPG0.00

Engine  
Engine ConfigurationI
Cylinders8
Aspiration/InductionNormal
Displacement282.00 CU IN. | 4622 cc. | 4.6 L.
Horsepower120.00 HP (88.3 KW)
HP to Weight Ratio30.3 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter26.1 BHP / Liter
Fuel TypeGasoline - Petrol
Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight


 
Similar Automakers
Add Review
Packard History
Other models by Packard
View Specifications
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Vehicle Ratings
Rate the Vehicle
Add Review

Articles and Event Coverage
2005 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

Additional Resources and Links
Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Official Website

1937 Packard models
120C One Twenty
1500 Super Eight
1501 Super Eight
1507 Twelve Convertible Coupe
Fifteenth Series 1073
Fifteenth Series 1508
Fifteenth Series Super Eight Flower Car
Model 1508 Hearse
Twelve Coupe
Twelve Victoria

Recent Vehicle News
Alfa Romeo GT Veloce 2000Ferrari F355 BerlinettaLamborghini 350 GT
Cisitalia 202 Spider NuvolariBentley Speed Six SurbicoAudi Metroproject Quattro
Cadillac SixteenChrysler Imperial ConceptBMW Mille Miglia Concept
Volkswagen EOSRolls-Royce Pininfarina HyperionHamann 911 Turbo Stallion
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 VersaceEdo Competition Gallardo SuperleggeraToyota Aygo Crazy Concept
2008 Lamborghini ReventonAudi R10 TDiLotus Elise SC Clark Type 25
BMW GINA Light VisionaryBreckland BeiraSpada Codatronca TS Concept
Maserati A8 GCS Touring CoupeBugatti Veyron Sang NoirBMW M1 Homage Concept
Maserati Quattroporte Bellagio Fastback