1930 Packard Series 734 Eight

Colonel Jesse Vincent had a special speedster built in 1929 using the Packard chassis and mechanical components paired with a lightweight, aerodynamically efficient body. Charles Lindberg drove the prototype at Packard's proving grounds, where it easily exceeded 109 mph, a remarkable speed for the time. This impressed Packard chief Alvan Macauley, who decided to continue the concept in production form.

The Packard 734 was constructed by the company to be a high-performance vehicle with stylish bodies, low weight, and high top speeds. Inside of these small vehicles (small for the day) was Packard's largest engine, a 384 cubic-inch super eight with Detroit Lubricator 2 barrel updraft carburetors, high-lift camshafts, and larger exhaust ports. With the help of a high compression head, engine output was approximately 37 percent greater than the stock output of 106 bhp, delivering approximately 145 hp at 3,400 RPM. There was a vacuum-driven booster to keep fuel regulated to the engine while the vehicle was traveling at high speeds. The exhaust manifold was a separate unit mounted at a 45-degree angle, and there was a large vacuum booster, a dual-throat Detroit Lubricator, and a special camshaft and valving. Aside from the Model J Duesenberg, it was the most powerful American automobile offered to the public in 1930.

The 134.5-inch wheelbase used the boxed 733 Standard Eight side rails with 733 cross-members. The Speedster Series had a 3.31 or 4.66 gear ratio, and the cast iron brake drums were finned for cooling; the standard Pacakrds were un-finned. The braking surface was two inches wide, with 3-leading shoe linings, and was virtually devoid of fade in the most demanding high-speed use. The 19-inch wheels were wrapped with 6.50 profile tires.

The bodies of these vehicles were much narrower, shorter, and lower than the other bodies built in Pacakrd's own new custom body shop located on East Grand Boulevard. These Speedster bodies and the individual customs built on the longer chassis were built in this shop, and wear a black and red body plate on the lower right cowl in recognition of their birthplace.

Most of the Speedster bodies were conservative, with choices of a runabout (boattail), phaeton, Victoria, sedan, and roadster. The Speedster runabout had a 'boattail' rear end, minimal top, and staggered seating.

The Packard 734 Speedsters was a unicorn - an enigma - in the company's history. It was part of the seventh series but was not introduced until January 1930, five months after the formal introduction of the Seventh Series on August 20, 1929, and three months after Black Tuesday. Only a single 8-page black and white brochure was produced, and it was rarely shown at salons and received little attention from the company's press department. Since the Speedster was not advertised, it quietly disappeared without fanfare after 1930, and most Packard dealers were not aware of its existence. The Packard Speedster Eight embodied everything that a muscle car should be - a lightweight and narrow body, and the company's shortest chassis and its biggest engine. The Speedster may have been developed for racing, perhaps LeMans; whatever its purpose, its legacy was forged on the roadway and not the track.

Under Col. Vincent's direction, Packard had built a banked oval 2.5-mile test track which became the fastest closed course in the world, even faster than Indianpolis. The track would retain this distinction until after World War II. Col Vincent built a cutdown 2 seater Speedster on the 443 chassis near the close of the 1920s, which he drove for years. Inspired by the horsepower race at the end of the 20th Century and the attractive and sporty Speedster coachwork on the market, Packard's decision to build its own factory-built Speedster was perhaps, inevitable.

A total of 118 (as few as 150) cars were built across all body styles.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2007