Packard One-Twenty

The Packard 120 (pronounced One Twenty ) was a passenger car that was manufactured from 1935 to 1937 and from 1939 to 1941 by the Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit. In the model years 1938 and 1942, the One- Twenty Eight Packard said.

The One- Twenty is an important model in the history of Packard, as scored with his company for the first time in the market of middle-class eight-cylinder. See Packard enthusiasts the One- Twenty and the One- Ten / Six as a turning point, was no longer of the at Packard as the most important American luxury automobile brand.

The introduction of the One- Twenty (and later that of the One -Ten / Six ) was necessary to keep Packard in the last years of the Great Depression on the market. The reason why the company did not choose another brand name for their lower-priced cars, may well be that the factory on Grand Avenue was only a production line is available and that the introduction of another brand have high costs. Since the One- Twenty was marketed as a Packard, you could bring it out quickly and you gave buyers the pride of owning a Packard.

Model series

1935-1937

In its inaugural year, the Packard One- Twenty was available in a wide variety of body styles. e.g. 2 - and 4-door sedans, convertibles and coupes Club. He was driven by an 8-cylinder SV engine from its own production, the (81 kW) made ​​110 bhp at an engine speed of 3.850/min. The sales prices of cars ranged from 980 U.S. $ for the 3- seater business coupe and $ 1,095 for the Touring sedan. When it was introduced in 1935, the car was immediately in great demand, so that Packard produced this year, 24,995 One- Twenty (and only 7,000 pieces from all other models together).

1936 Packard increased the displacement of the side-valve eight-cylinder engine, which he carried now 120 bhp (88 kW) and the car up to 85 mph (136 km / h) faster. In the same year, a 4-door convertible - the most expensive model in the range with a price of 1,395 U.S. $ - to do so. 1936 55.042 One- Twenty were produced, the highest number that could ever reach this model in a year.

1937 slipped the One- Twenty slightly higher in the model range since the Packard Six, the first 6 - cylinder for 10 years introduced. The One- Twenty was now offered in the equipment variants C and CD. As a new model, a station wagon with wooden body ( "Woody" ) came about, as well as the Touring sedan and a Pullman model with a wheelbase of 138 inches ( 3,505 mm), which cost less than $ 2,000. The 1937 model was sold from September 1936 and brought it to 50,100 pieces.

1938 was drained the model name " Packard One- Twenty" and integrated the model into the Packard Eight - series, analogous to the Packard Six.

1939-1941

In 1939 the One- Twenty back to the Packard model range and was offered in many body shapes from a coupé to ​​the Touring sedan priced between 1,099 U.S. $ and U.S. $ 1,856. New this year was the column shift, which replaced the previous stick shift. That the 1939 model was offered from September 1938 and brought it to 17,647 copies.

Also in 1940 was again a large number of body styles offered, including a designed by Howard "Dutch " Darrin Convertible Victoria special model. In August 1939, the 1940 models were introduced and brought it to 28,138 units.

In the last year of production of the One- Twenty had to give up some body shapes in favor of the One -Ten line. It gave it more as a business coupe, club coupe, 2 - and 4 -door sedan, 2 - and 4-door convertible and two different suits. The total production figure dropped to 17,100 pieces.

1942 were the One -Ten and One- Twenty from the program and have been for Packard Six and Packard Eight. In seven years of production 125 027 Packard One- Twenty were produced.

Swell

Kimes, Beverly R. (Editor), Clark, Henry A.: The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1945, Kraus Publications ( 1996), ISBN 0-87341-428-4