DIY Network

A Brief History of Packard Motorcar Company From "Classic Car Restoration" episode DCR-401

In this episode of Classic Car Restoration, host Mark Lambert addresses one aspect of the restoration of a 1938 Packard Club Coupe.

In this third segment of episode 401, we present a brief historical overview of the Packard Motorcar Company.

advertisement

	Figure A
	Figure B

Our '38 Packard project coupe sprang from the classic era in automobiles. The era began in the 1920s and lasted until the late 1940s. And many car enthusiasts agree that this era produced the greatest cars ever made. The Americans were certainly at the top of their game and Packard, the only luxury independent to survive the depression, was the top prestige brand.

How is it that this relatively small independent become such a dominant force among giants? It was achieved through the vision of general manager Alvan Macauley (figure A). Often referred to as "the only gentleman in the car business," Macauley established one of the top engineering departments in the country. Packard’s innovations included many that are universally accepted today. The H-slot gear shift pattern, three-point engine suspension and hypoid gears were all original Packard patents.

Macauley’s chief engineer, mechanical genius Jesse Vincent (figure B), designed the company’s first 12 cylinder engine in 1915 and he was responsible for every Packard engine through WWII. Vincent engines were over-built?the 9-main bearing Eights were practically wear-proof. Durability was the key to success.

Today’s owners imagine that they have been well served when their late-model car disintegrates after 150,000 miles on our smooth, modern roads. Vincent-designed Packards routinely went 200,000 miles under conditions that would destroy that modern car in 25,000.

	Figure C
	Figure D

In the 1920s Macauley wisely invested the company’s record profits into a 500 acre testing facility, called the ""Proving Grounds" (figures C and D). Boasting the world’s fastest 2.5 mile track, the proving grounds was run by Jesse Vincent's brother, Charles. Jesse would build them and Charles would try his best to break them. It was the perfect family arrangement and it solidified Packard's a reputation of quality.

Everything changed when the stock market crashed in October of 1929. The grand luxury marques were in trouble. Stutz was failing rapidly, Cadillac was hemorrhaging GM money, Lincoln was on Ford life-support, and Dusenburg was barely breathing. These companies put the best of everything that they had into each car, just to stay alive. Ironically, it was this fierce competition for survival that gave us the full classics that we treasure today.

Never before -- and never again -- would automobiles of such quality be offered. In the early 1930s, $3000 could buy three middle class suburban homes, six deluxe Chevrolets, or one Packard. These cars were hand-built by the best craftsmen in the business. The interior wool broadcloth was of the highest quality, and even more expensive than the finest leather. The garnish moldings were Carpathian elm. The paint was hand rubbed nitrocelluloid lacquer. All of this rode on a nearly indestructible chassis.

Unlike the Big Three, Packard never built down to a price category. They just built the best car possible and priced it at cost plus a reasonable profit. The problem was, that by 1932, profits had vanished. Packard was losing money and needed a miracle.

	Figure E
	Figure F

Macauley boldly reorganized the company for mass production and delivered that miracle: the 1935 "120" (figure E). Packard experienced the decade’s most sensational financial recovery, landing Macauley on the cover of Time magazine in November (figure F).

Named for its 120-inch wheel base, this new, small Packard combined traditional styling with the latest independent front suspension, hydraulic brakes, and high-speed straight 8 engine. Its $1,000 list price was the lowest in the Packard’s history. The dealerships were mobbed with customers. The new car was so good that 1936 and 1937 were record profit years at Packard.

	Figure G
	Figure H
	Figure I

1938 marked the first re-design of the "120" line, so our coupe (figure G) has the all-steel body and upgraded cooling system. However, Packard’s greatest story was yet to unfold. As hostilities escalated in Europe, Packard’s began to focus, as it had 20 years earlier during the great war, on marine and aircraft engines.

In 1940 Jesse Vincent and his staff delivered two engines that would change history. The first was a V-12 for the new patrol torpedo boats. These PT boats (figure H) held the the Pacific until the American fleet, destroyed at Pearl Harbor, could be rebuilt. Then Vincent's crowning achievement: the re-designed Rolls Royce Merlin engine. Our British friends asked the united states for help in manufacturing their fine V-12 aero engine. Ford declined, stating that it would be impossible to produce this complex engine with the necessary precision in the numbers required.

The job fell to Packard, the crown jewel of Detroit’s finest machine shops. Vincent's re-designed Merlin engine had fewer parts and more power than the original, and Packard responded with an astounding wartime total of more than 50,000 engines. These engines powered the legendary P-51 Mustangs (figure I), the fighter planes that many authorities credit with winning the war. It was Packard's finest hour.

Host Mark Lambert with one of his own vintage Packards -- a 1936 Roadster.

Knowing the history of Packard, and exactly where our car fits into a dynamic decade of automobile design, provides an important background and context as we begin our restoration.

RESOURCES :


Resources and Special Thanks for Classic Car Restoration 400 series


The Packard Club
Columbus, Ohio
(National & regional clubs, car shows & judging, magazine, resources, etc.)
The Cormorant magazine
The Packard Club
www.packardclub.org

Packards International Motor Car Club
(National owner's club, judging rules, magazine, newsletter and other resources)
Santa Ana, CA
Packardsinternational.com

Packards of Chicagoland
(Regional affiliate of The Packard Club)
Elmhurst, IL
Packards of Chicagoland

America's Packard Museum
Dayton, Ohio
www.americaspackardmuseum.org

The National Packard Museum
Warren, OH (the birthplace of the Packard)
www.warren.org

The Packard Motor Car Foundation
(Foundation for preserving the Packard marque) Restoring the Packard Proving Grounds and other Packard activities.
www.packardmotorfdn.org

Motorbooks International
www.motorbooks.com

Automobile Inspections LLC
(Nationwide automobile appraisal & inspection services, including classic cars)
Hartford, CT
www.automobileinspections.com

Classic Auto Appraisals (Evaluation of Classics, Street Rods, Antiques, Competition Cars, Exotics, Commercial Vehicles and Hand Crafted Vehicles).
www.autoappraisals.com