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It is sad to have to use the famous
Packard slogan in the past tense. At one time it stood
for one of the finest American automobiles. From 1899,
when the firm began its life, it produced a continuing
line of cars that represented the best quality possible.
The Packard had perhaps the most legendary beginning
in cars. James Ward Packard, mechanical engineer, purchased
a Winton in 1898. Alexander Winton made good cars and
extremely fast cars, but the one he sold to Packard
must have had many flaws because on its first road trip
the new car balked, stalled, and finally quit. Packard
was not a man to take this lightly. Returning the car
to its builder he engaged him in a furious argument.
When the flying sparks and thunder of verbal battle
had reached their height, Winton challenged Packard
to build a better car. James Ward Packard not only accepted
the challenge but went to work immediately. One year
later, he and his brother William Dowd Packard originated
a new automobile company in Warren, Ohio, and released
their first model, a single cylinder buggy-type car.
Bigger engines and advanced body designs followed soon.
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The Packard brothers were after quality
and dependability and they proved the worth of their
machines by entering them in endurance tests. The Packard
cars won many cross-country reliability runs, but their
early fame was secured by an out-and-out racing model
named the Gray Wolf. This machine was a four-cylinder
speedster with an aluminum body and a total weight of
only 1,300 pounds. It appeared in 1904 and set many
records, but its greatest triumph was securing fourth
place in the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup race. Incidentally,
the Gray Wolf, in full racing trim, was easily available
in quantity to the public, a policy which made Packard
one of the first American firms to sell a pure racing
model.
By this time these cars from the Packard brothers had,
for all practical purposes, completely eclipsed the
earlier Wintons and the challenge that was taken up
in 1898 was fulfilled. James Ward Packard had built
a much finer car. But he did not stop there. He continued
to develop large limousines -- exciting luxury cars
which sold at comparatively high prices. Like Rolls-Royce,
the early Packards had a distinctive flat radiator which
slowly evolved into a classic pointed shell.
In 1919 a Packard returned the Land Speed Record to
America. It was the first time since the 1906 Stanley
Steamer that an American car had traveled a measured
mile faster than any other earth-bound vehicle. With
Ralph De Palma, the hero of Indianapolis, sitting behind
the powerful 12-cylinder engine, the big disc wheeled
machine sped across the hard sands of Daytona beach
at a speed of 149 mph. But Packard did not continue
to pursue speed. After this triumph the Packard corporation
concentrated almost exclusively on expensive passenger
machines and by the 1930s was producing some of the
finest prestige cars. The big square bodies had a look
of solid elegance, and the straight-eight engines were
fast and dependable.
However, in the 1930s competition grew fiercer and the
greater resources of General Motors slowly pushed Cadillac
to the fore. Their V-16 engine proved a better sales
point than Packard's V-12 and the public followed the
trend of counting cylinders rather than judging performance.
As the decade drew to a close, Packard turned to the
production of a smaller but still handsome machine --
the 120. This happy decision saved the firm, because
now people of modest income could afford the status-building
name of Packard, and sales increased. Then World War
II intervened and ended all competition. By the 1950s
sales had dropped drastically and Packard was finally
merged with the Studebaker corporation which continued
the line for a short time. But the Studebaker people
were caught in the same economic squeeze. They were
forced to discontinue their own big car line, dropping
even the beautiful Raymond Loewy-designed cars. Eventually
Packard was dropped completely. The popular Studebaker
Lark and Avanti appeared some years later; and the huge,
powerful, handsome Packard was gone.
It was a pioneering car. Packard was the first American
production machine to use the H pattern for the gearshift;
the mechanically practical hypoid bevel gear system
in the rear end; two-tone paint jobs; and the greatest
device of all, a steering wheel! Yet the Packard outlasted
most of its early contemporaries, and left a host of
classic cars for the collectors. To really savor the
essence of this fine old car, it is now necessary to
"Ask The Man Who Owned One."
Author
and date unknown. Edited from original.
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A sample of
Packard literature available from
McLellan's Automotive History |
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1901 |
1932 |
1936 |
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1938 |
1938 |
1939 |
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1940 |
1941 |
1942 |
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1946 |
1946 |
1946 |
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1946 |
1946 |
1946/47 |
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1948 |
1948 |
1948 |
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1948 |
1949 |
1949/50 |
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1950 |
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1951 |
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1951 |
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1952 |
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1952 |
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1953 |
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1955 |
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1956 |
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1956 |
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1958 |
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