1927 Packard 343 Eight Touring

Packard built high-quality, expensive cars from 1899 to 1958. They were made in Warren, Ohio until they moved to Detroit in 1903. Packard was sold to Studebaker in 1955 which proved to be an unsuccessful merger.

In 1927 the Packard vehicles outfitted with eight-cylinder engines were known as the Eight Series, or 336 and 343 Third Series Packard. Packard was one of the first marques to mass produce an inline-eight-cylinder engine and offer them with four-wheel brakes. A few other luxury marques, such as Cadillac, had also been mass-producing eight-cylinder engines and offering them in their vehicles.

In 1925 Packard hired Ray Dietrich to design the bodies of the Packards. His creations helped Packard become one of the most popular vehicles in the country by the close of the 1920s.

This Packard, with chassis number 224144, was originally owned by the US Government and used by Franklin D. Roosevelt to inspect W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration) Projects in Texas. Gun holsters are still sewn inside of the doors for the secret service men to use. It sits atop a 143-inch wheelbase and had a factory price of $3,950. It was offered for sale at the 2006 Worldwide Group Auction held on Hilton Head Island where it was expected to fetch between $90,000-$110,000. At the conclusion of the auction, the vehicle was left unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2006