In 1900, the Ohio Automobile Company was founded to produce Packard automobiles and in 1902 the name was changed to the Packard Motor Car Company with James Packard as president. With regard to marketing, Packards were an automobile for the wealthy. The Great Depression of the 1930s sounded the death knell for many American automobile manufacturers. Packard responded to the challenges by continuing to manufacture luxury automobiles. Packard had a single production line with interchangeability between models which meant that Packard was able to keep its costs down. In addition, Packard did not introduce new models annually.
By 1935, the Great Depression forced Packard to introduce its first lower priced car, the Packard 120. Sales tripled in 1935 and then doubled again in 1936. The 120 model was built in an entirely separate factory. By 1936, the company’s labor force was evenly divided between the Senior lines (i.e. the luxury vehicles) and the low-priced Junior models. While Packard produced only 1 Senior car for every 10 Junior cars, the Senior cars required more hand labor.
Shown below are some of the 1930s Packards on display in the Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio. At this time, enclosed Packards were less common than convertibles.
1934 Super Eight Club Sedan
This car has a 385 cubic inch straight eight 145 horsepower engine with a 3-speed manual transmission. It sold for $3,255 new (note: a house cost $5,970 the average yearly wage was $1,600, a gallon of gas was $0.10, and the average new car cost $700 at this time).
1937 Twelve Touring Sedan
This car has a 473 cubic inch V-12 175 horsepower engine with a 3-speed manual transmission. It sold for $3,560 new (note: a house cost $4,100, the average yearly wage was $1,780, a gallon of gas was $0.10, and the average new car cost $760 at this time).
At some point in its early life, this car was modified to run on propane.
More automobile photo tours
Packard Museum: Convertibles of the 1930s (photo diary)
Packard Museum: The 1920s (photo diary)
Packard Museum: Early Packards (photo diary)
Museums 101: Automobiles of the 1930s in America's Car Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Extinct Automobiles of the 1930s (Photo Diary)
WAAAM: Automobiles of the 1930s (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: 1930s Fords in the Classic Auto Museum (photo diary)
Shape of Speed: Some American Automobiles (Photo Diary)
