1941 Packard One-Twenty

Dissatisfaction with his Winton motor carriage assumedly spurred James Ward Packard to build a superior automobile, and that goal was quickly achieved and the Packard automobile became unquestionably one of the finest American automobiles of the pre-war era. While the top-of-the-line Packard model gave the company its prestige, it was the 'lower market' Packards that helped sustain the company through difficult times. This, however, was not always the case, as with the Packard Eighteen of the pre-World War I era and the 1932 Light Eight. Both of these models wore similar styling and accouterments to their larger and more expensive siblings, but they had not moved far enough down market, with prices in near enough proximity to the range-topping Packards that it degraded their popularity.

Packard One Twenty
In 1935, Packard introduced the One Twenty priced half the cost of the next most expensive model, the Eight, and a quarter-of-the-price of the range-topping Twelve. It was offered in a wide range of body styles and powered by a 256.16 cubic-inch L-head straight-eight engine that delivered 110 horsepower at 3,850 RPM. Its name was a reflection of its 120-inch wheelbase platform, which was 7 inches smaller than the Packard Eight Series 1200 and 12.5 inches shorter than the Packard Twelve Series 1206. The largest platform available on the Packard Eight in 1935 was 139 inches (Series 1202) - a commercial chassis of 160 inches was also available - and the largest Packard Twelve platform was on the SEries 1208 which measured 144.25 inches. The Packard Eight was powered by a 320 cubic-inch straight-8 with 130 horsepower and the Packard Twelve displaced 473.3 cubic inches and delivered 175 horsepower.

The 1935 Packard One Twenty was immediately popular and nearly 25,000 examples were sold compared to the circa-7,000 units of the combined Eight, Super Eight, and Twelve models. It was a medium-priced car with an independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes and built with similar styling and build quality as its higher-priced siblings. The One Twenty would continue to grow in popularity, prompting Packard to move even further downmarket with the introduction of a Model Six in 1937, the company's first six-cylinder model since the late 1920s. Its engine was an L-head, 237 cubic-inch unit with mechanical valve lifters, a Chandler-Grove carburetor, four main bearings, and delivered 100 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. It rested on a 115-inch wheelbase and from the cowl back, the two 'Junior' Packards wore a similar appearance, distinguished by the shorter hood and front fenders of the Six. Prices ranged from the high $700s to $910, with the station wagon priced even higher at $1,295. The 1937 Packard continued to rest on the 120-inch wheelbase, its 282 CID straight-8 engine offered 120 hp, and prices ranged from $1,130 to $1,500 (the seven-passenger touring sedan was higher at $1,900 and the Touring Limousine was $2,050 - both resting on a 138-inch wheelbase).

The One Twenty designation was dropped in 1938 but quickly returned in 1939, the final year of the company's Paragon, the Twelve. The Six adopted the One-Ten designation in 1940 along with new styling that was highlighted by a tall Packard radiator grille with two vertical side grilles on either side. Slight changes were made to the One-Twenty line for 1940 as it gained a hyphen between the 'One' and 'Twenty.' Engineering and styling changes were similar to the six-cylinder model, gaining sealed beam headlights, new compression ratios, and rear axle ratios, and the overdrive was now a Warner Gear.

Customers agreed with the new styling, engineering changes, and the build quality of the entire 1941 Packard lineup, with 62,300 units of the One-Ten, 28,138 of the One-Twenty, 5,662 of the Super-8 One-Sixty, and 1,900 of the range-topping Super-8 One-Eighty sold.

1941 Packard One-Twenty
The popularity of the affordable One-Ten in 1941 convinced Packard to add even more body styles to the range, with DeLuxe versions available for every One-Ten except the business coupe. Along with the 122-inch wheelbase platform, a larger 133-inch version became available and catered to the taxicab business. The styling deleted the running boards and moved them to the options list where they joined the new-for-1941 two-tone paint schemes. 'Aero-Drive' was the new name for the overdrive system and the 'Electromatic' was now used for the semi-automatic clutch. The prices of the entry-level One-Ten ranged from $925 to $1,330.

The Nineteenth Series One-Twenty received similar styling changes as the One-Ten, but it lost body styles and the 'Deluxe' trim (albeit still available on the Station Wagon). The base prices rose by approximately $100 and ranged from $1,140 to $1,540. The wheelbase continued to measure 127 inches and the engine remained the 282 CID straight-8 with 120 bhp at 3,600 RPM. It was backed by a three-speed 'Aeroshift' selective synchromesh transmission with a conventional clutch and column shift controls. Hydraulic brakes on all four wheels provided the stopping power. They rode on the company's patented 'Safe-T-Flex' double A-arm independent front suspension.

Styling features included the headlights which were positioned completely within the fenders, and when the one-piece side mounts were ordered, they were placed deeper within the fenders. A one-piece rear window replaced the former 'divided' unit.

The prices of the One-Twenty were approximately $215 higher than the One-Ten and $450 lower than the Super-8 one-Sixty. The business coupe was priced at $1,142, the club coupe at $1,235, the two-door touring sedan at $1,260, the four-door touring sedan at $1,290, the convertible coupe at $1,405, and the convertible sedan at $1,750. The eight-passenger station wagon listed for $1,465 and the DeLuxe version at $1,540.

Among the list of options was air conditioning for an additional $275, a radio, a heater, dual side mounts, a spotlight, and turn signals.

Packard produced 34,700 examples of the 1941 One-Ten and 17,100 of the One-Twenty. Model year production for the Super-8 One-Sixty was 3,525 units and 930 of the Super-8 One-Eighty.

Packard introduced a new styling direction for the company in 1941 with its Clipper model. It used the One-Twenty's 127-inch wheelbase and engine with increased compression that boosted output by five horsepower. It was lower than any other Packard and wider than nearly every production automobile. Its styling was modern and offered solely as a five-passenger touring sedan priced at $1,420. A total of 16,600 units were built in 1941 and its styling would soon grace the Junior and Senior Packards.

1941 was the final year of the Packard One-Twenty as Packard shuffled the lineup, renamed the One-Ten back to the 'Six', and incorporated the Clipper styling into most of the line. The Six moved slightly farther up-market, the One-Twenty was renamed the 'Eight', and the Senior Packards (One-Sixty and One-Eighty) were 'Clipperized' like their lower-priced sibling.

Over 175,000 examples of the Packard One-Twenty were produced from 1935 through 1941 and provided the company with the financial stability to weather The Great Depression, the confidence to introduce a less-expensive model - the Six, and resources to design a new model - the Clipper.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021