1936 Packard Model 1407 Twelve

Had it not been for Alexander Winton, the legendary Packard automobile probably would never have been produced. When James Ward Packard purchased a 'Winton' in 1898, he was very dissatisfied with the car. He relayed his thoughts and experiences with the car to Mr. Winton who suggested that Mr. Packard should try to build a better car of his own. By November of 1899, with the assistance of his brother and two former Winton employees, Packard produced his first car. Four additional cars were built that year and 47 of a 'Model B' in 1900. It was not long before the slogan 'Ask the Man Who Owns One' was adopted.

Packard automobiles were in high demand until the Great Depression cut production by nearly half each year when compared with the previous. Even with slipping sales, Packard continued to refine their vehicles, making improvements from year to year.

In 1936, Packard employed 5,100 production workers with 2,500 of them assigned to building the 5,985 senior cars that would be produced that year. The remaining 2,600 employees work on the other 55,042 Packard 120 Models created that year. This division of labor, with nearly half of the employees working on 10% of the vehicles, represented the level of detail, quality, and craftsmanship that went into the senior automobiles which were priced considerably higher than the 'Junior' model.

The fourteenth series for 1936 had only minor differences from the cars of 1935, the most significant change being a new radiator, which was raked back five degrees to give the car a sleeker look. 1936 was the final year for the 17-inch wire wheels and the traditional double-blade bumpers with hydraulic dampers.

The Twelve was offered in many different body styles including several different four-door sedan configurations.

The 473.3 cubic-inch twelve-cylinder engine had four main bearings, a Stromberg-Duplex carburetor, various compression ratios (6.0;1, 6.24:1, and 7.0:1), and developed 175 horsepower at 3,200 RPM. The engine was backed by a three-speed selective synchromesh transmission with a single plate clutch and floor shift controls. Mechanical-vacuum assist brakes at all four corners provided the stopping power. The Series 1407 rested on a 139-inch wheelbase (the same as the Super 8 Series 1404) and was priced from $3,850 to $6,400. The Seris 1408 had a 144-inch wheelbase (shared with the Super 8 Series1405) and was priced from $4,285 to $6,435. The total 1936 Packard Twelve production was 682 units.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2019