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1948 Packard Eight

When Packard was established in 1899, it focused on building premium automobiles that were durable and robust. This tradition would continue until the very end, resulting in some of the finest American cars ever built.

In 1948, Packard introduced a restyled line that resonated well with post-World War II America. The designs appeared as though they had been shaped by air and water. They had an elongated nose, an abbreviated rear deck, flowing bodies, and a full-width, wraparound lower grille. The New York Fashion Academy chose the Packard as the Fashion Car of the Year.

The 1948 Packard was known as the 22nd series and since Packard did not follow a traditional model year change-over, the 22nd Series were merchandised as 1948 and 1949 models. Packard would not conform to the traditional model year system until 1951.

The base trim level on the Packard Eight series was the Standard Eight. Body styles included a 4-door sedan, a 4-door station sedan, and a 2-door club sedan. The Station Sedan was a new body style for 1948, and it was a hybrid between a sedan and a station wagon. The traditional woody station wagons of the era used bodies constructed largely of wood mounted to a steel frame. Packard's Station Sedans used steel bodies and doors with wood inlays, except for the rear tailgate door, which was constructed entirely of wood. The rear quarter was cut away from the sedan body and replaced with wood creating the wagon, and this was the only area where wood was used a street-bearing body section.

Packard had built wood-bodied station wagons prior to World War II, in both six-cylinder 115 and eight-cylinder One-Twenty variants. The Clipper style of 1941, however, was not compatible with timber construction. When Clipper production resumed following WWII, the wagons were no longer constructed. This changed after Packard introduced its wider and lower, all-new 22 Series, with the Station Sedan adaptation.

Packard took four-door, six-passenger sedans off the production line and sent them to body supplier, Briggs Manufacturing Company, who changed the roofline to incorporate a liftgate and tailgate. Briggs used ash and maple for the wood sections of the body. Steel supports were placed at the B-posts and D-posts. With a price of $3,425, they were the most expensive of the short-wheelbase Packards.

Standard Eights had no lower belt moldings at the mid-body level, but they did have a single rocker panel strip and upper belt moldings that ran from below the front ventipanes to the back of the vehicle. Power was from an L-head inline eight-cylinder engine displacing 288 cubic inches and offering 130 horsepower. The Standard Eight shared its 120-inch wheelbase with the Deluxe and Super Eight.

The Deluxe Line also used the 288 CID engine found in the Standard Eight. They received additional trim and some of the interior appointments used in the Super Eights.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Sedan
Chassis number: 229344414
Engine number: H225231

Packard introduced the 22nd Series of Packard Automobiles in 1948. In comparison to the Clipper automobiles, these were wider and available as wagons. The Station Sedan cost $3425 when new and was the most expensive of the short-wheelbase Packards. The substructure was comprised of steel and augmented by wood frames, and panels on the door and upper portions of the body.

In 1948, Packard produced 3,266 examples of the 22nd Series Station Sedan, and 126 in 1947. Production continued until 1949, though a few were sold as 1950 models. Station wagons would not return to the Packard line-up until 1957 and 1958 with the Studebaker-derived wagon.

This 1948 Packard 22nd Series Station Wagon was offered for sale at the 2006 Gooding & Company Auction held in Pebble Beach, Ca. It is powered by an L-head straight-eight engine that develops 130 horsepower. It has a three-speed manual gearbox and sits atop a 120-inch wheelbase. There is seating for six and 21 cubic feet of cargo space with both seats in use. A spare tire can be found under the floor.

At the auction, the car was offered without reserve and estimated to sell for $65,000-$75,000. The estimate appeared to be very accurate as the car was sold for $68,200.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Sedan

Packard's 1948-1950 station wagon was called the 'station sedan' because it used mostly sedan body stampings with bolt-on wooden ribs. Production for 1948 was 1786 units and the base price was $3425.

This car was originally sold by the Earl C. Anthony distributorship in California. This car has a unique roof-mounted luggage rack that appears to have been installed by Coachcraft Ltd. in Hollywood, CA.

In an attempt to preserve originality, restoration was limited to refinishing wood, new paint (original color), re-chrome several parts, and re-upholstering of seats only with duplicates of original material.

Station Sedan

While most people would refer to this automobile as a station wagon or woodie wagon, Packard referred to this body style as a four-door 'station sedan' when it was introduced in 1948. The model was offered only in Packard's Standard Eight series and was discontinued after the 1950 model year. It is considered to be one of the very first all-steel-bodied station wagons and features genuine Northern Birch wood paneling. Unlike other automakers, the wood in this Packard was strictly decorative and was only used structurally for the tailgate.

As the 1950s dawned, automakers began to substitute real wood with fiberglass railing and Di-Noc wood grain decals.

by Gilmore Museum

Station Sedan
Chassis number: 22932250

For 1948, Packard introduced its all-new twenty-second series which was a wider and lower adaptation of the sleek Clipper lines. Unlike Ford and GM who designed a whole new body structure, Packard took the basic sedan and added a 'dormer' at the back. This preserved the general lines but offered slightly less interior room than the competitors' vehicles. Thus, the Packard Station Sedan became part of the lowest-priced Standard Eight series for 1948 and was priced at $3,425. Production reached fewer than 3,900 in just over two years, with most of them being built in 1948.

This 1948 Packard Station sedan was previously in the collection of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. It is painted in Packard's Golden Green with a tan vinyl interior. It is equipped with a radio and heater for passenger entertainment and comfort and twin backup lights for convenience. The 288 cubic-inch L-head eight-cylinder engine offers 130 horsepower and is mated to a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive. There are four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes and a wheelbase that measures 120 inches.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the St. Johns sale presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $40,000 to $60,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $51,700 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Sedan
Chassis number: 22932710

Packard introduced a heavily restyled line for the 1948 model year. They featured an elongated nose, a flowing body, and an abbreviated rear deck. The New York Fashion Academy chose the latest Packard as the Fashion Car of the Year.

The Great Depression of the 1930s taught the auto industry that building a product that appealed to a wide audience helped retain longevity and fortune. The Model 120 helped Packard through this difficult period in history, and Packard hoped their newly introduced Station Sedan would again broaden the brand's appeal. The Station Sedan was an interesting hybrid sedan and station wagon. Many of the woody station wagons being produced during this era had bodies constructed largely of wood mounted to a steel frame. Packard, however, used steel bodies and doors with wood inlays, except for the rear tailgate door, which is entirely made of wood. The only area where wood is used as a stress-bearing body section is where the rear quarter has been cut away from the sedan body and replaced with wood creating the wagon. Thus, Packard was able to offer a wagon to their customers without fully reconfiguring the Packard sedan, upon which the wagon was based.

This particular example is one of approximately 20 known to exist. It was mechanically refreshed in 2010 by Duffy's Collectible Cars in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The 288 CID inline-8 cylinder engine is mated to a 3-speed manual transmission. It features chrome Packard hubcaps with wide whitewall tires, a Packard Cormorant hood ornament, a wood-lined luggage compartment, rear seat chrome rub strip accents, and a tan interior.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Sedan
Chassis number: 22934127

Packard was building wood-bodied station wagons prior to World War II, on both the six-cylinder 115 and eight-cylinder One-Twenty model lines. The new Clipper styling of 1941, however, was not compatible with timber construction.

When World War II came to a close, the production of the Clipper resumed, and wagons were no longer constructed. By 1949, Packard introduced its all-new 22 Series, which was a wider and lower adaptation of the sleek Clipper lines. Packard used this to build a hybrid wagon, which was a design that consisted of a steel substructure augmented by wood frames and panels on the doors and upper body.

Packard took four-door, six-passenger sedans off the production line, and the body supplier, Briggs Manufacturing Company, changed the roofline to incorporate a lift-gate and tailgate. Using ash and maple, Briggs converted the sedan into a full station wagon, with steel supports at the B-posts and D-posts.

This 1948 Eight Station Sedan is finished in its original color of Cavalier Maroon over a tan interior. The car was last restored in the mid-1990s while part of a large collection of classic cars. It was purchased by its current owner shortly thereafter.

Accessories from the factory include a driver's die and passenger's side spotlight, fog lights, an AM radio, and a heater with flow-through ventilation.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Sedan

This 1948 Packard Station Sedan is finished in Cavalier Maroon and has been treated to an extensive cosmetic and mechanical restoration. The exterior birch framing was restored by a specialist in New Zealand while the car was there for a 1,200-kilometer tour of the South Island. The interior ash has been replaced and the chrome was also re-plated. The engine is an L-head eight-cylinder unit displacing 288 cubic inches and offering 135 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive and an Electromatic clutch, along with four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Sedan

Also referred to as the 'Woody Wagon,' this car has an 8-cylinder engine, all original wood on the exterior, and was bought new for a price of $3,895.00.

It is still owned by the original driver who was a delivery boy for Heyduks Florist in Cleveland, who bought the car new. Ed, the delivery body who was present when the car was delivered to the florist is now over 70 years old and still driving the car.

Totally new on the automotive scene in 1948 was the Packard Station Sedan Body 2201. Despite its price being $1,200 higher than the Standard Eight Sedan the wagon-line car was still classed in the 2201 series.

- The 22nd Series was introduced in September 1947

The wood was northern birch framing with maple panels and was basically decorative, as the overall structure was braced by the metal body shell which actually was modified from the Standard Sedan Body, only the upper rear quarters which were removed from the sedan body used the wood as actual bracing. On the door sides and window frames the regular sheet metal was cut away in order to allow the wood to be inlaid, rather than just bolted on top. Unlike most other station wagons, which were 8 or 9-passenger cars the Packard was strictly a 6-passenger model, with no provision for a third seat. No lightweight, the Station sedan weighs 4,080 pounds.

by National Packard Museum

Station Sedan
Chassis number: 22932212

This Packard Eight Station Sedan was formerly part of a private collection in the Southwest and was cosmetically restored in 2010. Power is from an L-Head eight-cylinder engine displacing 288 cubic inches and offering 130 horsepower.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Sedan
Chassis number: 2293-3982

The new Station Sedan, now based on the Standard Eight sedan and featuring hewn white ash paneling over an all-steel body, featured a unique semi-fastback roofline, and rear quarter panels. More than just decoration, the wood worked as part of the vehicle's structural integrity in the car's tailgate, which pioneered the two-piece gate design that would become common on many American wagons by the mid-1950s.

These were some of Packard's most elegant offerings of this year, fitted with lush and luxurious elements. The New York Fashion Academy dubbed it 'Fashion Car of the Year.' Most Packard Station Sedans were built in 1948, with leftovers re-titled and sold in 1949 and 1950.

The Packard Station Sedans were rare when they were new - and they are even rarer today, as their wooden body required proper care that many examples were not fortunate to receive.

This particular example was in long-term ownership on the East Coast before it was acquired by the Orin Smith collection. Prior to the Smith purchase, the car was given a nut-and-bolt, body-off chassis restoration. It is finished in Aztec Brown, has birch woodwork, and the interior is upholstered in brown vinyl with tweed fabric inserts and rubber mats.

by Dan Vaughan

Station Sedan
Chassis number: 22932008

Packard produced the Station Sedans in 1948 and 1949 in limited quantities. Unlike other woodies of the era, the only place where wood was used as a stress-bearing part of the body is where the standard sedan's rear quarter is cut away and replaced with wood. The rest of the birch is merely inlaid where the outer metal skin has been cut away, except for the tailgate, which is all wood.

The Packard Series 22 wood-sided station sedan featured a primary substructure of steel components with fine-grained hardwood used for the paneling on the exterior and stainless 'no mar' trim installed on the wood cargo area inside. Packard marketed the body style as a successor to the 'station wagon.' Power was from the 288 cubic-inch inline-8 cylinder engine rated at 130 horsepower and equipped with a downdraft carburetor and 3-speed manual transmission that has both overdrive and vacuum-assist shifting.

This Packard Series 22 Station Sedan has been given a period-correct frame-off refreshing, including the interior with its fold-down secondary seat for additional storage capability. After its completion it was shown at the 2016 Hilton Head Concurs d'Elegance where it won a Best in Class award.

The interior is nicely appointed with plaid inserts on the bench seats, a wood-grain dash, tinted glass, and a radio with an antenna. The exterior is painted green with a reduced-profile grille opening and substantial rib-stamped front and rear bumpers complete with bumper guards. Accent features include fender skirts, full-size wheel covers, and wide whitewall tires.

by Dan Vaughan

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