1929 Packard 640 Custom Eight

Like many other American luxury car manufacturers, the stock market crash of 1929 did not immediately affect Packard and they continued to employ over 7,000 workers. During the 1928 model year, Packard production totaled an all-time record 49,698 cars with the vast majority (over 41,000 cars) being the less expensive six-cylinder cars. The more affordable Packard was more accessible to an increasingly affluent marketplace that was enjoying an unprecedented boom.

A new Standard Eight line was introduced in 1929 which replaced the earlier Twin Six models. These sixth-series Packards had long hoods, large oval-backed headlights (a one-year-only feature), and sweeping fenders. Five basic models were offered and given an automatic cylinder oiler (helped to prevent unnecessary wear caused by dry startups), parabolic headlamps and chromed brightwork, and a shock-absorbing loose trunnion suspension with new Houdaille shocks. Other mechanical improvements included the relocation of the coolant temperature gauge from the radiator filler cap (Moto-Meter) to an easy-to-read gauge on the dashboard. The driver and passenger received more interior room when the shift lever was moved from the top of the transmission casing to the bell housing.

The Sixth Series 640 Custom Eight rested on a 140.5-inch wheelbase platform and was offered in nine different body styles. The Model 640 and 645 'Deluxe Eight' had a chassis specifically designed for the elegant custom and semi-custom bodies of the time. Total production of the 640 Custom 8 reached 4,853 examples for the 1929 model year.

The 384 cubic-inch L-head inline eight-cylinder engine had seven main bearings and a rigid one-piece cylinder block casting. It was given a single carburetor which helped produced 105 horsepower. They had a three-speed manual transmission and four-wheel drum brakes.

The 1930s brought many changes to the automotive industry as it continued to wrestle with the effects of the Great Depression. Cadillac had been working on a sixteen-cylinder engine and its arrival in 1929 sparked what has become known as 'The Cylinder Wars' as companies scrambled to field a worthy competitor. Packard's response was a twelve-cylinder model whose introduction corresponded with a lower-priced model called the Light Eight. The Packard Twin Six (twelve) model succeeded in keeping the company at the forefront of the luxury car segment, but the Light Eight failed in gaining any momentum. The Light Eight was discontinued after a year, but the company would try (and succeed) with a lower-priced option in 1935. Its success convinced the company to move even further downmarket, introducing a six-cylinder model in 1937 (its first six-cylinder model since 1928). The Packard Twelve (twelve-cylinder) was discontinued after 1939 with fewer than 500 examples built that year. This left the Custom Super 8 as the company's top-of-the-line model. Six- and eight-cylinder models continued until World War II brought civilian automobile production to a temporary end. When peacetime resumed, the Packards model lineup included the Clipper equipped with either six or eight-cylinder power. By 1948, only the eight-cylinder option remained. Packard would continue to build automobiles until 1958 when it finally shuttered its doors forever.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2019