1924 Packard Single Eight

The first Packard automobile appeared in 1899 and the last Detroit-built Packard was in 1956. The company founded by James Ward Packard, his brother William and their partner, George Lewis Weiss would gain a reputation for their luxury, elegance, durability, and mechanical prowess.

In June of 1923, the company introduced the Packard Models 136 and 143 which brought with them new designs and the first application of four-wheel brakes by Packard. They also introduced the Packard inline eight-cylinder engine which had a 358 cubic-inch displacement and delivered 85 brake horsepower at 3,000 rpm (Packard Twin Six had produced 90 horsepower). The engine would gain a reputation for its power, smoothness, and performance. The smoothness of the engine was attributed to Packard's use of nine main bearings, a Lanchester crankshaft vibration damper, four-point engine mounting, and adoption of the 2-4-2 timing of the crank, bucking the usual practice of the era of designing the crankshaft as if it were two four-cylinder engines placed end-to-end.

The 136- and 143-inch wheelbase chassis were each ten inches longer than the corresponding six-cylinder models. These extra ten inches were placed forward of the firewall to allow room for the longer engine. Packard offered ten different body styles including 4- and 5-passenger coupes, 5- and 7-passenger sedans, 5- and 7-passenger touring, runabout, sports model, and 5- and 7-passenger Sedan Limousine. The Single Six bodies were similar, with the Single Eight having better trim and upholstery and the appointments were more elegant.

Standard equipment included the bumpers, manually operated windshield wipers, rearview mirror, transmission-operated tire air pump, electric gas gauge, brake-operated stoplight, Watson stabilizers, Motometer, steel disc wheels, and more.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2020