Coffee, Tea or Coupé
1937 Packard Twelve Coupe
Ironically, many of the greatest automobiles of the classic era arose from the depths of the Great Depression. The Packard Twelve had few peers and was acknowledged as one of the finest automobiles of its time, and Packard’s relentless and careful refinement ensured that these hand-built “Senior” Packard models continue to rank among the most highly prized and sought-after classics today.
By the 1930s, the Packard Motor Car Company already possessed a wealth of experience with 12-cylinder engines. Their first, the Twin Six of 1916-1923, had become almost synonymous with the genre and was phased out in favor of the simpler and more advanced Single Eight that was introduced in 1924. While the Single Eight set new standards for smoothness and agility during the late 1920s, the rekindled multi-cylinder wars had resumed in earnest by the onset of the 1930s in Detroit. Cadillac introduced both its V-16 in 1930 and its V-12 in 1931, while Auburn, Marmon, Pierce-Arrow and even Franklin had their own 12-cylinder engines in the wings for 1932.
Resurrecting the “Twin Six” name, Packard met this new competitive threat with a completely new engine. A large-displacement V-12 design with a 67-degree cylinder-bank angle, development of this new power unit was the happy by-product of an aborted front-wheel drive development project. As released, the new Twelve initially displaced 445 cubic inches, 20 more than the old Twin Six, while developing 75 percent more power. In 1933, the model name was simplified to “Packard Twelve,” and two years later, engine displacement rose to 473 cubic inches, and output now climbed accordingly to 175 brake horsepower.
The weight of the car is 5,255 pounds, and the original list price was $3,420 - a tidy sum for the period. This top-of-the-line Packard was purchased by its current owner from the Columbus, Ohio Packard dealership in 1955.
Overall, the Packard Twelve was a conservative car with finely tailored lines, elegant appointments, a refined chassis and a whisper-quiet, 12-cylinder engine. All-new bodies introduced for 1935 offered true envelope styling with the body, hood, fenders and running boards incorporated into a smooth design. In addition, increased horsepower and improvements in suspension and steering, along with improved engine mounts, provided ease of operation and dramatically improved passenger comfort.
While the 1936 models were virtually unchanged, the Fifteenth Series of 1937 brought a comprehensive series of mechanical improvements. Most notably, the introduction of “Safe-T-Flex” independent front suspension, based on the sound design of the junior One-Twenty, debuted on the “Senior” Packard models. Other improvements included the adoption of hydraulic brakes, disc-type steel wheels and the elimination of the Bijur central chassis lubrication system.
While 1937 was a good year for Packard, just 1,300 Twelves were produced, all but ensuring their place among the rarest and most desired masterpieces of the Classic Era.
Credits
• Excerpts taken from RM Sotheby’s web site
• Placard display at America Packard Museum
On a personal note, Dayton, Ohio holds a special place in my heart. My Dad, a “professional” road driver for C/F (Consolidated Freightways) ran Chicago to Dayton for about ten years. As I remember he liked the “Dayton run”. Being one of the high seniority drivers at C/F, I recall he bid for the Dayton haul several years in a row. He favored not only the “run” but would speak well of the city. It impressed him as a clean and “well laid out” city.
I remember as a kid, a family vacation we took to Dayton - to the Wright Patterson Air Force base museum. I loved airplanes and it was a real thrill for me. My Mom - oh not so much but she enjoyed seeing Dayton and she enjoyed dining out in the evenings. I suppose you could say Mom just enjoyed going places as a family and seeing the C/F terminal where her husband traveled to and from so many times - in the hot blistering summers and the cold and many times, dangerous icy winters. Or maybe she was just scouting out the area where C/F put the drivers up for the night to see if there were any suspicious looking honky tonks in the area.
And Dayton has another significance for me. The headquarters of the corporation that I worked for the last five years of my career, Dayton-Superior Corporation is located in Dayton.
This past September when my wife and I traveled to Dayton for the Dayton Concours d’Elegance Carillon Park I never got to see the Dayton-Superior headquarters nor, of course was there anything remaining of the old Consolidate Freightways terminal as C/F had gone out of business years before. The day, a Sunday, September 17th, dawned as a beautiful day - in the low 80’s, partly sunny and no humidity. Although the Concours event turned out to be a bust, the day was saved when we left and drove over to the Packard Museum located on Ludlow Street, the south side of town . Even the area, the street conveyed a feeling of “days of yore” - devoid of all cars and people. The day at this museum I wish I could have kept sealed in a bottle and lived over and over. Probably not much fun for my wife but she never complained. Where did I find this girl? For me, however, the afternoon spent taking pictures inside the museum was like a kid being in a candy store. The staff was extremely accommodating, allowing me to use my tripod and basically giving me free run of the place. I loved the look and “feel” and even the smell of the place. The building is actually the original location of the Citizen’s Motorcar Company, a Packard dealership dating back to 1917.
Hope you enjoy (as much as I enjoyed taking this and many more pictures at this museum)…………..
Coffee, Tea or Coupé
1937 Packard Twelve Coupe
Ironically, many of the greatest automobiles of the classic era arose from the depths of the Great Depression. The Packard Twelve had few peers and was acknowledged as one of the finest automobiles of its time, and Packard’s relentless and careful refinement ensured that these hand-built “Senior” Packard models continue to rank among the most highly prized and sought-after classics today.
By the 1930s, the Packard Motor Car Company already possessed a wealth of experience with 12-cylinder engines. Their first, the Twin Six of 1916-1923, had become almost synonymous with the genre and was phased out in favor of the simpler and more advanced Single Eight that was introduced in 1924. While the Single Eight set new standards for smoothness and agility during the late 1920s, the rekindled multi-cylinder wars had resumed in earnest by the onset of the 1930s in Detroit. Cadillac introduced both its V-16 in 1930 and its V-12 in 1931, while Auburn, Marmon, Pierce-Arrow and even Franklin had their own 12-cylinder engines in the wings for 1932.
Resurrecting the “Twin Six” name, Packard met this new competitive threat with a completely new engine. A large-displacement V-12 design with a 67-degree cylinder-bank angle, development of this new power unit was the happy by-product of an aborted front-wheel drive development project. As released, the new Twelve initially displaced 445 cubic inches, 20 more than the old Twin Six, while developing 75 percent more power. In 1933, the model name was simplified to “Packard Twelve,” and two years later, engine displacement rose to 473 cubic inches, and output now climbed accordingly to 175 brake horsepower.
The weight of the car is 5,255 pounds, and the original list price was $3,420 - a tidy sum for the period. This top-of-the-line Packard was purchased by its current owner from the Columbus, Ohio Packard dealership in 1955.
Overall, the Packard Twelve was a conservative car with finely tailored lines, elegant appointments, a refined chassis and a whisper-quiet, 12-cylinder engine. All-new bodies introduced for 1935 offered true envelope styling with the body, hood, fenders and running boards incorporated into a smooth design. In addition, increased horsepower and improvements in suspension and steering, along with improved engine mounts, provided ease of operation and dramatically improved passenger comfort.
While the 1936 models were virtually unchanged, the Fifteenth Series of 1937 brought a comprehensive series of mechanical improvements. Most notably, the introduction of “Safe-T-Flex” independent front suspension, based on the sound design of the junior One-Twenty, debuted on the “Senior” Packard models. Other improvements included the adoption of hydraulic brakes, disc-type steel wheels and the elimination of the Bijur central chassis lubrication system.
While 1937 was a good year for Packard, just 1,300 Twelves were produced, all but ensuring their place among the rarest and most desired masterpieces of the Classic Era.
Credits
• Excerpts taken from RM Sotheby’s web site
• Placard display at America Packard Museum
On a personal note, Dayton, Ohio holds a special place in my heart. My Dad, a “professional” road driver for C/F (Consolidated Freightways) ran Chicago to Dayton for about ten years. As I remember he liked the “Dayton run”. Being one of the high seniority drivers at C/F, I recall he bid for the Dayton haul several years in a row. He favored not only the “run” but would speak well of the city. It impressed him as a clean and “well laid out” city.
I remember as a kid, a family vacation we took to Dayton - to the Wright Patterson Air Force base museum. I loved airplanes and it was a real thrill for me. My Mom - oh not so much but she enjoyed seeing Dayton and she enjoyed dining out in the evenings. I suppose you could say Mom just enjoyed going places as a family and seeing the C/F terminal where her husband traveled to and from so many times - in the hot blistering summers and the cold and many times, dangerous icy winters. Or maybe she was just scouting out the area where C/F put the drivers up for the night to see if there were any suspicious looking honky tonks in the area.
And Dayton has another significance for me. The headquarters of the corporation that I worked for the last five years of my career, Dayton-Superior Corporation is located in Dayton.
This past September when my wife and I traveled to Dayton for the Dayton Concours d’Elegance Carillon Park I never got to see the Dayton-Superior headquarters nor, of course was there anything remaining of the old Consolidate Freightways terminal as C/F had gone out of business years before. The day, a Sunday, September 17th, dawned as a beautiful day - in the low 80’s, partly sunny and no humidity. Although the Concours event turned out to be a bust, the day was saved when we left and drove over to the Packard Museum located on Ludlow Street, the south side of town . Even the area, the street conveyed a feeling of “days of yore” - devoid of all cars and people. The day at this museum I wish I could have kept sealed in a bottle and lived over and over. Probably not much fun for my wife but she never complained. Where did I find this girl? For me, however, the afternoon spent taking pictures inside the museum was like a kid being in a candy store. The staff was extremely accommodating, allowing me to use my tripod and basically giving me free run of the place. I loved the look and “feel” and even the smell of the place. The building is actually the original location of the Citizen’s Motorcar Company, a Packard dealership dating back to 1917.
Hope you enjoy (as much as I enjoyed taking this and many more pictures at this museum)…………..