1940 Packard Super-8 One-Sixty

When Packard was established in 1899, it focused on building premium automobiles that were durable and robust. This tradition would continue until the very end, resulting in some of the finest American cars ever built.

There were four Packard lines for the 1940 model year, including two Junior models and two Seniors, which were now called the Super Eight One-Sixty and the Super-Eight One-Eighty. Due to the economic impact of the Great Depression, the bulk of Packard production was now in the lower-priced Junior Series. Packard built 90,438 Junior models and 7,562 Seniors, including 1,900 Custom Super Eights and 5,662 Super Eights in 1940.

The demise of the twelve-cylinder Packard the previous year had left the Super Eights as the Senior Packard sedans. The One-Sixty Series had taken the place of the previous Super Eight, with the flagship being the Custom Super Eight or Series One Eighty. In comparison to the One-Sixty, the One-Eight was given additional accouterments, trim, and nicer upholstery. Both were fitted with a new engine, essentially a revised L-head straight-eight with a 356 cubic-inch displacement size and producing 160 horsepower. It had a 6.45:1 compression ratio, aluminum pistons, a cast iron head, a Stromberg carburetor, and Auto-Lite ignition.

The Senior Packards rested on three chassis wheelbases of 127-, 138, and 148-inch. Air conditional was an optional amenity priced at an additional $275.00, which Packard described as 'cooled by mechanical refrigeration,' the first to be installed on production vehicles. The list of body styles included three semi-customs by Darrin and two catalogue customs from Rollson Inc.

Mechanical Specification
Most of the bodies for the Packard Super-8 One-Sixty rested on the 127-inch wheelbase platform. The 138-inch wheelbase carried a five-passenger sedan, and the 148-inch platform was used for the touring limousine and touring sedan, both with seating for eight passengers.

Series 1803 : 127-inch wheelbase
The two-passenger Business Coupe was priced at $1,525, the club coupe at $1,600, the club sedan at $1,720, a five-passenger touring sedan at $1,630, and the convertible coupe at $1,775. The five-passenger convertible sedan was priced just north of $2,000.

Series 1804 : 138-inch wheelbase
The five-passenger sedan was priced at $1,920.

Series 1805 : 148-inch wheelbase
The eight-passenger touring limousine listed at $2,150, and the eight-passenger touring sedan at $2,030.

Engine
The 356 cubic-inch straight-8 engine had a cast iron block and aluminum pistons, a 3.5-inch bore, a 4.8-inch stroke, standard 6.45:1 compression, hydraulic valve lifters, and nine main bearings. It developed 160 horsepower at 3,200 RPM, or slightly higher when given the optional 6.85:1 compression.

The three-speed selective synchromesh transmission had a single plate clutch and column-mounted gearshift controls. The 1803 had a standard final drive ratio of 3.92:1, the 1804 at 4.09:1, and the 1805 at 4.36:1. Behind the disc wheels were hydraulic drum brakes. At the front was a coil-spring independent suspension, while the rear had a live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs.

Optional equipment included a radio, heater, spotlight, bumper guards, steel spoke wheels, and dual side-mount spare tires.

The Packard 160 proved more popular than the 180 by a wide margin with over 5,600 examples built. The vast majority of Packard's output for the year were the 90,000 junior-series, six-cylinder cars.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2018