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1928 Packard Model 443 Eight

Packard called its new 8-cylinder car 'Custom' models for 1928, in spite of the fact that they were not custom cars, nor even limited series models. They were part of the company's own production lines, and available with custom coachwork for those with discriminating tastes and VIP status like American celebrities and business tycoons. There were nine standard body styles in the Custom Eight line for 1928, all riding on a 143-inch wheelbase and powered by a 383 cubic-inch, L-head 109 horsepower, near-silent straight-eight engine. First made available in mid-1923, the nine-main bearing engine had been substantially upgraded in 1926. Standard chassis equipment included a Bijur chassis lubrication system and mechanical four-wheel brakes.

The model 443 of 1928 was part of the Fourth Series and earned its name from its 143-inch wheelbase - hence the 4-43 series designation. Since Packard did not adhere to standard model year cycles, Fourth Series production bridged over into 1928, and would total 7,798 units in both Custom and Standard model lines. Standard and Custom models were similar, both offered the same body factory body styles and were fitted with similar mechanical setups. The differences were in the higher level of trim, accouterments, and luxury bestowed upon the Custom.

Custom Phaeton

The 'Golden Age' of the Packard automobile occurred during the decades of the 1920s and 1930s. Preserved and restored Packards of this era are the true classics of today.

The model displayed here was Packard's big Eight for 1928 - the Model 443 Custom 8, with the long 143-inch wheelbase and the powerful 384 cubic-inch 8-cylinder engine. It has a road clearance of 8.75 inches, center jump seats, and a weight of 5045 pounds.

This vehicle has the big drum headlights with matching cowl lights, the combination motor-meter temp gauge and goddess of speed hood ornament, sporty wire wheels, side-mounted spares, hood doors instead of louvers, and a long trim design.

This great Packard 443 is an outstanding example of the fine car craftsmanship, engineering, and attention to detail that was the trademark of luxury automobiles of earlier times. It is still sound and dependable and will cruise elegantly and comfortably at 45 to 55 miles per hour.

In 1928, this was of the most expensive cars to purchase new in America. To own a brand new 1928 Packard 443 Sport Phaeton would cost $4,250.

Convertible Sedan by Hibbard and Darrin

Carosserie Hibbard et Darrin was based in Paris, France, and later in New York, New York; and was founded by Thomas L. Hibbard and his partner Howard 'Dutch' Darrin. In 1928 Hibbard & Darrin introduced a new body structure consisting of aluminum castings called Sylentlyte (silent and light). Sylentlyte was a thin-walled aluminum casting system. The four-door convertible utilizes 10 main castings to form the body.

The Parisian Packard dealer, Monsieur Barbezat, sold a number of Hibbard & Darrin cars, including this car to an Argentinean National. The engine is a 386 cubic-inch Straight Eight. This Convertible Sedan is on a 143-inch wheelbase, has a divider window, and is totally unrestored.

In 1928, this was one of the highest-priced cars built in America. Selling new for $4250, this particular model, a convertible coupe on a 143-inch wheelbase, is especially rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only known vehicle of its kind left in the world. Since it was restored, it has been housed in a climate-controlled garage. Features include an original straight eight engine with 109 horsepower, self-lubricating chassis, cowl lights, rumble seats, title windshield, dual side-mount tires and mirrors, trunk/luggage rack, and leather-wrapped springs to reduce the noise.

by Barrett-Jackson

by Packard

Custom Phaeton

This 1928 Packard 4-43 Phaeton was purchased new by the current owner's father from Gibbes Machinery Company in Columbia, SC in October of 1928 for $3,650. Built in July of 1928, this was one of the last 4-43s produced. The current owner's father, who was from Scotland, took the car to England and Scotland in 1929. He claimed it was the first car to climb the hill to Edinborough Castle in high gear. It would later spend 28 years of its life in Sumter, SC.

The car was sold in 1956 to Mr. Jake Nelson of Greenville, SC. At his death, it was purchased by Henry Yeska and re-sold to a collector in Pennsylvania. Mr. Paul Ianuario located the car for Mr. Logan, the current owner, in 2004 and re-acquired the car after 48 years.

This car has been treated to a complete frame-off, four-year restoration, and has been brought back to the original colors and with the original accessories. In 2008 it was brought to the Hilton Head Concours d'Elegance where it was awarded the coveted 'Best of Show' award. It completed the 1,600-mile Pebble Beach Motoring Classic in 2013 after winning numerous awards at many prestigious Concours events.

Custom Touring

Packard is unquestionably the most famous name of a very long, long line of very superior quality automobiles which has finally vanished from the American scene. This individual car was originally owned by the President of George Washington University and is reported to have been used by Pope Pius XII on his only visit to the Nation's Capital. The eight-cylinder, water-cooled, engine produced 120 horsepower. Produced by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, the 1928 Packard Seven Passenger Phaeton Touring had a base price of $4,040.

by Luray Cavern Museum

Custom Roadster

In 1928, Packard was considered the indisputable leader in the field of prestige automobiles, and the exclusive Senior Eight Phaetons and Sedans were the top-of-the-line Packard models. This particular model, a convertible roadster coupe built on a 143-inch wheelbase, was the least expensive body style amiable in the 443 model lineup, yet it is among the most highly prized configurations today. The Packard 443 is powered by a 385 CID, 109 horsepower straight eight with three-speed transmission.

Town Car by Rollston & Company

There is no disputing that the Packard Motor Car Company enjoyed its glory days in the 1920s and 1930s. Packard automobiles were American luxury automobiles built by the Packard Motor Company of Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last true Packard left the assembly line in 1956.

1928 was a truly outstanding year for Packard, not only in the United States but also in many other countries. In fact, they were highly competitive abroad, with markets in 61 countries. The gross income for the company in 1928 was $21,889,000.

Packard offered nine standard models in the Custom Eight Series for 1928, all riding on a 143-inch wheelbase and powered by a 383 cubic-inch straight-eight engine that produced 109 horsepower.

For those with more discerning tastes and a larger pocketbook, custom coachwork on an individual chassis was available. Packards were often the choice for VIP's with discriminating tastes and numerous American celebrities and business tycoons.

This one-off town car was built by Rollston, Inc. and was ordered new by Cornelius Kelly, who took delivery in June of 1928. Kelly was president and chairman of the Board for Anaconda Copper Company of Pennsylvania. Kelly kept the car until his passing in 1957. Though it was restored in 1984, it retains its original upholstery in the passenger compartment. Its previous owner kept the car for more than 40 years.

Custom Roadster

In 1928 Packard was the dominant luxury brand in the United States with a remarkably broad product line from huge family sedans to this sleek and sporty Roadster. The Fourth Series cars were offered with over twenty different body styles, a plethora of color choices, and options for custom bodies from a variety of coachbuilders.

The 443 Roadster rides on a 143-inch wheelbase and is powered by a big, L-head, straight-eight engine making 60 horsepower. It is a CCCA Full Classic. This example has new paint and top, but original leather in the rumble seat. It also sports a novel golf club compartment behind the doors.

The current owners knew the car from tours in the 1950s and 1960s but lost track of it when the previous owner passed away. They saw it for sale on the field at the Elegance at Hersey. The new owner had quite the story: Their house had caught fire and burnt to the ground, but a keen-eyed neighbor noticed the smoke and pushed the Packard out of the garage in time, saving it from the fire.

Coupe by Dietrich

Packard's Third Series Custom Eight debuted on July 1, 1927. In 1928, it was one of the highest-priced cars built in America, selling for $4,250. The Model 443 was offered with twelve different factory bodies as well as a variety of custom bodies built by Judkins, Fleetwood, Derham, and Holbrook. Three models, including this coupe, were styled by the legendary designer Ray Dietrich. All of these model 443s were built on the 143-inch chassis and powered by the 109 horsepower engine that Packard had introduced in 1923. The Eight was the first Packard to employ four-wheel brakes.

Custom Phaeton

Considered by some to be the pinnacle model and year for Packard, 1928 was the last year before the 1929 stock market crash. This Packard sold for 15 times the price of a 1928 Model A Ford. It is powered by the very reliable 385 cubic-inch straight-eight and a three-speed transmission. It is referred to as the 'King of the Road' model because of its gearing ratios, which allowed for high torque low gears, and the ability to drive 60 miles per hour in third gear. This model was Packard's first for the Bijon total body lubrication system.

Custom Phaeton

The Packard 443 Model was unveiled on July 1, 1927. These new 'Big Eight' models were considered part of the 4th series and all rode on an imposing 143-inch wheelbase. Thus the 443 designation. The Packard catalogue offered no less than eighteen different body arrangements ensuring that individual tastes were well suited. While approximately 7,800 443 chassis were built for 1928, the varying body styles meant that individual production numbers were quite low. Prices ranged from $3,650 for a Standard Eight up to $5,250 for the Custom Eight.

This car has body style 311 which is the Custom Eight Phaeton. It features dual side-mount spares, flap door engine ventilation, and a folding luggage rack with a removable trunk. The 443 is powered by an inline eight-cylinder engine displacing 385 cubic inches and it produces 109 horsepower and is mated to a three-speed transmission.

Standard Phaeton
Chassis number: 230575
Engine number: 230593A

This 1928 Packard Eight 443 Phaeton is a very original example resting on a 143-inch wheelbase and powered by a 385 cubic-inch L-head inline 8-cylinder engine with a single Packard Updraft carburetor and delivering 109 horsepower at 3,200 RPM. There is a three-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel mechanical drum brakes, and a solid front and live rear axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs.

Mr. O.A. Corriher, a Mercer owner from Landis, North Carolina, owned the Phaeton before selling it in the late 1990s to Charles LeMaitre of Hardwick Village, Massachusetts, and Arthur Smith of Connecticut. The pair owned it for approximately a quarter of a century before selling it to Peter Hageman of Kirkland, Washington. Mr. Hageman eventually sold the car to the current caretaker.

This Packard is finished in black over an Oxblood interior.

by Dan Vaughan

Standard Runabout
Chassis number: 227972

The 1928 Packard Custom Model 443 was offered with a dizzying array of nine production body styles along with 20 additional coachwork designs from eight different coachbuilders. The list of coachbuilders who created bodies for these new Fourth Series eight-cylinder cars includes Dietrich, Fleetwood, Holbrook, Judkins, LeBaron, Murphy, and Rollston.

The Custom Model 443 Runabout was introduced on July 1, 1927, built on a 143-inch wheelbase platform, and had a price starting at $3,975. The 384.8 cubic-inch inline eight-cylinder engine offered 109 horsepower and was paired to a three-speed manual transmission. Custom models included dual side-mounted spare tires, and most had wire wheels. All Packard Eights delivered in 1928 had nickeled cowl bands at the rear of the hood and drum cowl lights. Nickel plating was used for all brightwork and the radiator shell, however, cars built near the close of 1928 could be optioned from the factory with chrome plating as most manufacturers had adopted chrome for their 1928 models.

This particular Packard Custom Eight Runabout is a well-optioned example with twin Pilot Rays and dual spotlights, a luggage rack with trunk, a rumble seat with a golf door, dual side-mount spares, and a stone guard for its radiator.

This Packard wears an older restoration and has reportedly been stored away and resided in Utah for many years.

by Dan Vaughan

Packard was founded by two brothers, James Ward and William Dowd Packard in the city of Warren Ohio. They strongly believed that they could build a better automobile than the current models on display. They also had ideas on how to improve the designs of current automobiles. By 1899, both brothers were building and designing vehicles in their native Warren, Ohio. The company was originally called the Ohio Automobile Company and quickly began introducing various innovations in its designs that included the modern steering wheel, and the first production 12-cylinder engine.

While Henry Ford was producing vehicles that sold for $440, the Packard's instead concentrated on more upscale cars that started at $2,600. Their automobile developed a following and reputation not only in the U.S. but also abroad. The Packard's built vehicles that were consistently considered the elite in luxury automobiles. The company was commonly referred to as being one of the three 'P's' of American Motor Royalty; along with Pierce-Arrow of Buffalo, NY, Peerless of Cleveland, Ohio. On October 2, 1902, the Ohio Automobile Company became Packard Motor Car Company. The automobile operation soon moved to Detroit. Production was quickly placed ahead of General Motors Cadillac automobiles.

By 1925, Packard was considered the indisputable leader in the field of prestige automobiles. The exclusive Senior Eights were the Packard models that signified a prestige that went back to 1923. It was these models that were so successful through 1929 that the profit that they generated was almost enough to weather the Great Depression, and later finance the development of the 1935 One Twenty.

It was the Junior automobiles that supported the Seniors to World War II and beyond.

The Eight was the premier model, with only one notch below belonging to the much sought-after Six, between 1923 and 1928. The lines were once again upgraded in 1928.

With a muscular, yet silky 385 CID power plant, a new Custom Deluxe Eight was added at the top. At the same time, the Six was replaced by the Standard Eight and was named so like the Custom Deluxe through 1932. As the most inexpensive model in the line, the Standard still came with the same quality, and assurance of excellence as the other models in the line, it just happened to be sold at the cost of $4,100, and the equivalent of 10 Model A Fords.

Introduced on August 1, 1928, the Packard Model 645 also fell under the designation of the Custom Eight line, or the Deluxe Eight series on September 8, 1928. Around 2,061 units of the Packard 645 were produced, and were easily identified by the Round-Back Headlamps that replaced the earlier drum-type. These models also came with a larger eight-cylinder engine and a temperature gauge on the dash. The horsepower was at an increased 109, with the addition of the bore, L-head, in-line eight, and cast en bloc. Mechanical brakes were placed on all wheels, and the 645 came with 3-speed transmission.

The coachwork was done by Dietrich, and the design is consistently considered both desirable and beautiful. Offered in an astounding 21 body styles, the 8-cylinder was designated the 645 for 1929.

In one model year, an amazing 43,130 Standards were sold, plus another 11,930 Custom/Deluxe and Speedster models. High demands and waiting lists began the 1929 model year, but unfortunately due to the economic crisis, the sales tailed off to approximately 35,000 units for the year. The depression of the 1930's hurt Packard, and by 1934 their production dropped from more than 50,000 in 1928 to below 7,000 units per year. As the depth of the Depression intensified, there was a curious delayed reaction for Packard, as they still managed to sell approximately 18,000 units as late as 1931. For 1933-34, the Standard Eight became the Eight, and the Custom/Deluxe series became the Super Eight. Meanwhile, fine car sales along with the rest of the Industry continued to plunge, reaching the horrifying bottom of 7,040 units in 1934.

by Jessican Donaldson

The Packard Motor Company relied on making luxurious cars that were highly refined, fitted with luxurious coachwork, and powered by proven engineering. This belief had placed them among the elite in the auto industry during the early 1900s. As the world entered the Great Depression, the Packard Company was one of the few that managed to survive. In fact, they outsold all of their competitors combined. They had entered the Depression in excellent financial health and they emerged with strong financial footing. But the post-Depression era had them worried, as the number of potential buyers had dwindled as fortunes were lost. Production had dropped nearly half each year when compared with the previous, from 1929 to 1933. In response to the decline, Packard continued to make improvements each year.

In 1932, Packard introduced their Ninth Series. It featured many improvements that helped segregate it from other automakers in the industry. Improvements included a revised steering geometry which made steering smooth and easy. Braking was equally as easy thanks to the new driver-adjustable power-assisted braking system. The shifting action and clutch were improved making driving a very enjoyable activity. The driver's workload was eased even further with the spark advance and automatic choke.

By making these changes they attracted a growing segment of buyers and drivers - women.

The 1933 Packard's were called the Tenth Series cars as the company still refused to adopt the convention of the model year system which called for new cars to be introduced in September or October to coincide with the auto show schedules. The following year, they reluctantly joined with other manufacturers which resulted in a short run for the tenth series, lasting just seven months. The new Packard model line was introduced in the fall. Because of the seven-month production lifespan of the Tenth Series, very few were produced making them very rare in modern times.

The Tenth Series were given a new X-braced frame, dual coil ignition, and downdraft carburetors. The styling was updated with skirted fenders and a 'V'-shaped radiator shell. The interior featured upgraded trim and a new aircraft-inspired dash.

Packard continued to offer three chassis, the Eight, Super Eight, and the Twelve. The Super Eight and Twelve both rested on a wheelbase that measured 142 inches and had a hood that was nearly six inches longer than the Eight. The fenders were longer as well.

The bodies on the Twelve's and Super Eight were interchangeable, with the Super Eight featuring an eight-cylinder engine while the Twelve featured a twelve-cylinder engine. During this time, Packard also produced the Eight, which had a smaller wheelbase size and an eight-cylinder engine. The Super Eight and Twelve differed by interior appointments and engine size. The bodies were constructed of wood and steel.

In 1936 Packard was producing their Fourteenth Series as the number thirteen had been skipped. It is believed that thirteen was not used due to superstitious reasons. The Fourteenth Series was the last year for Bijur lubrication, ride control, a semi-elliptic suspension, mechanical brakes, heavy vibration dampening bumpers, and the 384.4 cubic-inch straight-eight engine. It was also the last year for the option of wire or wood wheels.

In 1936 the fourteenth series received a new radiator which was installed at a five-degree angle. The Super 8 had a new sloped grille with chrome vertical bars which gave the vehicle a unique look and served as thermostatically controlled shutters that opened or closed based on engine heat. The headlight trim, fender styling, and hood vents saw minor changes. A new Delco-Remy ignition system was the new update for 1936 under the bonnet.

For 1936 there were a total of 1,492 Super Eights constructed.

by Dan Vaughan