The Brucer
Dinky Toys - late 1930s Packard Super-8 Touring Sedan (#39A)
The "39" series of Dinkys was one of the last series introduced by Meccano before production had to cease at the beginning of WWII. The "39" series consists of six upscale American touring sedans and coupes, including the Packard Super 8 Touring Sedan shown in this photo (#39A), an Oldsmobile 6 Sedan (#39B), a Lincoln Zephyr Coupe (#39C), a Buick Viceroy Sedan (#39D), a Chrysler Royal Sedan (#39E), and a Studebaker State Commander Coupe (#39F). These various models were first produced between 1939 and 1941, then resuming in 1945 and continuing through the early 1950s. The toy shown here is a post-War version; for one thing, it was not sold with the brown color until after the War.
The post-War production of this Packard toy -- resumed in 1945 along with the other cars in the "39" series -- ended in 1950. By comparison, production of the other cars in the series continued until 1952. But none of the "39" cars was still in production at the time that Meccano modified their model numbering system in 1953-54. So none of these cars ever received a new 3-digit identifier, and they are thus known only by their "39x" number.
Unlike most of the other Dinky toys shown previously in my photostream, this one was NOT purchased by me in the mid-1950s in the U.S. (San Francisco Bay Area). This one was originally purchased by a young man in the Bradford area of West Yorkshire, UK, probably around 1947.
Packards having the headlight and grille design of the Dinky in this photo were produced between 1935 and 1940, consistent with the fact that Meccano introduced this toy in 1939.
During these production years, Packard offered four basic engines: 1) the "Six", a less expensive 6-cylinder engine; 2) the "Eight", the smaller of two available in-line 8-cylinder engines; 3) the "Super-Eight", the more powerful in-line 8-cylinder engine; and 4) a "Twelve" (or "Twin-Six"), an even more powerful V-12 engine. (The V-12 was discontinued after 1939.) Each of these engines (except the "Six") came with a choice of 2 or 3 chassis wheelbases. And then, for any particular engine/chassis combination, different body styles could be mounted (e.g., convertible coupe, hardtop coupe, club sedan, touring sedan, 7-passenger business sedan, etc.). Of course, not every body style was available with every engine/chassis combination. This complexity is consistent with Packard's approach of customizing luxury car orders during the company's pre-WWII years.
Thus, the fact that this Dinky is designated a "Super-Eight" indicates that the car has the company's second-most-powerful engine. If one assumes that this model represents a 1938 Packard, the Super-Eight that year was a 320 cubic inch 130 hp engine. The wheelbases for the alternative Super-Eight chassis in 1938 ranged from 127 to 139 inches. The largest chassis available with the touring sedan body style had the 134 in. wheelbase, so the toy could be representing one of Packard's larger cars, but not the largest.
Given the complexity of Packard's customized system, it is instructive to assess what the specific Packard model number might be for the actual car represented by this Dinky. If one assumes that this is in fact a 1938 Packard, it would be in what Packard referred to as its "Sixteenth Series". The model number would thus incorporate the 4-digit identifier "16xx", with the "xx" being defined by the engine/chassis combination. If the Super-Eight engine were mounted on a 127-in. wheelbase, 16xx would become 1603; on a 134-in. wheelbase, 1604; and on a 139-in. wheelbase, 1605. Then, an additional set of 4 numerals would be added to indicate the body style; for a 4-door touring sedan, that number would be 1103 for the 127-in. wheelbase and 1113 for the 134-in. wheelbase. So, assuming that the Dinky pictured here were in fact a 1938 Super-Eight on the chassis with the 134-in. wheelbase, the formal designation of this vehicle would be: "1938 Packard 1604 Super-Eight touring sedan 1113".
The Packard Motor Car Company was a recognized manufacturer of luxury cars and automotive engines in the U.S. from its founding in 1899 through the beginning of WWII. It survived the Great Depression by placing more focus on more affordable "mid-sized" cars using smaller engines (including its "Six" and "Eight"). When production of passenger cars was halted in 1942 due to the War, the company converted to the manufacture of airplane and marine engines in support of the war effort, and it emerged from WWII in excellent financial condition. Unfortunately for the company, post-War demand for the exclusive luxury cars that had been Packard's trademark was insufficient to ensure the company's survival, requiring that the company adapt to producing passenger cars for the mass market that would offer the quality and appeal warranting a price premium (like Cadillac, a major Packard competitor). Packard's management proved unable to achieve this, and -- following Packard's purchase of Studebaker in 1954 (to form the Studebaker-Packard Corporation) -- the Packard nameplate was withdrawn from use after 1958.
Dinky Toys - late 1930s Packard Super-8 Touring Sedan (#39A)
The "39" series of Dinkys was one of the last series introduced by Meccano before production had to cease at the beginning of WWII. The "39" series consists of six upscale American touring sedans and coupes, including the Packard Super 8 Touring Sedan shown in this photo (#39A), an Oldsmobile 6 Sedan (#39B), a Lincoln Zephyr Coupe (#39C), a Buick Viceroy Sedan (#39D), a Chrysler Royal Sedan (#39E), and a Studebaker State Commander Coupe (#39F). These various models were first produced between 1939 and 1941, then resuming in 1945 and continuing through the early 1950s. The toy shown here is a post-War version; for one thing, it was not sold with the brown color until after the War.
The post-War production of this Packard toy -- resumed in 1945 along with the other cars in the "39" series -- ended in 1950. By comparison, production of the other cars in the series continued until 1952. But none of the "39" cars was still in production at the time that Meccano modified their model numbering system in 1953-54. So none of these cars ever received a new 3-digit identifier, and they are thus known only by their "39x" number.
Unlike most of the other Dinky toys shown previously in my photostream, this one was NOT purchased by me in the mid-1950s in the U.S. (San Francisco Bay Area). This one was originally purchased by a young man in the Bradford area of West Yorkshire, UK, probably around 1947.
Packards having the headlight and grille design of the Dinky in this photo were produced between 1935 and 1940, consistent with the fact that Meccano introduced this toy in 1939.
During these production years, Packard offered four basic engines: 1) the "Six", a less expensive 6-cylinder engine; 2) the "Eight", the smaller of two available in-line 8-cylinder engines; 3) the "Super-Eight", the more powerful in-line 8-cylinder engine; and 4) a "Twelve" (or "Twin-Six"), an even more powerful V-12 engine. (The V-12 was discontinued after 1939.) Each of these engines (except the "Six") came with a choice of 2 or 3 chassis wheelbases. And then, for any particular engine/chassis combination, different body styles could be mounted (e.g., convertible coupe, hardtop coupe, club sedan, touring sedan, 7-passenger business sedan, etc.). Of course, not every body style was available with every engine/chassis combination. This complexity is consistent with Packard's approach of customizing luxury car orders during the company's pre-WWII years.
Thus, the fact that this Dinky is designated a "Super-Eight" indicates that the car has the company's second-most-powerful engine. If one assumes that this model represents a 1938 Packard, the Super-Eight that year was a 320 cubic inch 130 hp engine. The wheelbases for the alternative Super-Eight chassis in 1938 ranged from 127 to 139 inches. The largest chassis available with the touring sedan body style had the 134 in. wheelbase, so the toy could be representing one of Packard's larger cars, but not the largest.
Given the complexity of Packard's customized system, it is instructive to assess what the specific Packard model number might be for the actual car represented by this Dinky. If one assumes that this is in fact a 1938 Packard, it would be in what Packard referred to as its "Sixteenth Series". The model number would thus incorporate the 4-digit identifier "16xx", with the "xx" being defined by the engine/chassis combination. If the Super-Eight engine were mounted on a 127-in. wheelbase, 16xx would become 1603; on a 134-in. wheelbase, 1604; and on a 139-in. wheelbase, 1605. Then, an additional set of 4 numerals would be added to indicate the body style; for a 4-door touring sedan, that number would be 1103 for the 127-in. wheelbase and 1113 for the 134-in. wheelbase. So, assuming that the Dinky pictured here were in fact a 1938 Super-Eight on the chassis with the 134-in. wheelbase, the formal designation of this vehicle would be: "1938 Packard 1604 Super-Eight touring sedan 1113".
The Packard Motor Car Company was a recognized manufacturer of luxury cars and automotive engines in the U.S. from its founding in 1899 through the beginning of WWII. It survived the Great Depression by placing more focus on more affordable "mid-sized" cars using smaller engines (including its "Six" and "Eight"). When production of passenger cars was halted in 1942 due to the War, the company converted to the manufacture of airplane and marine engines in support of the war effort, and it emerged from WWII in excellent financial condition. Unfortunately for the company, post-War demand for the exclusive luxury cars that had been Packard's trademark was insufficient to ensure the company's survival, requiring that the company adapt to producing passenger cars for the mass market that would offer the quality and appeal warranting a price premium (like Cadillac, a major Packard competitor). Packard's management proved unable to achieve this, and -- following Packard's purchase of Studebaker in 1954 (to form the Studebaker-Packard Corporation) -- the Packard nameplate was withdrawn from use after 1958.