1936 Packard Model 1407 Twelve Coupe Roadster

The cylinder wars during the late 1920s and early 1930s had most luxury marques scrambling to create a suitable powerplant that could compete with other engines on the market while still retaining their exclusivity and style. Cadillac and Marmon produced a 16-cylinder unit and Peerless was following closely with their development of a 16-cylinder unit. Duesenberg's Model J was powered by a twin-overhead cam eight, and in 1932, Packard introduced its V-12.

Packard produced an impressive 55,042 cars for the 1936 model year. However, the total production of the Senior models - the Eight, Super Eight, and Twelve - was just 5,985 units, including just 682 Twelves powered by Packard's silky smooth 445 CID, 175 horsepower V12 powerplant. Low production numbers of the Senior models only add to the desirability and collectability of such cars today.

This particular example was the New York Auto Show car for 1936 and is fitted with Body number 201, which makes it the first built for 1936.