In the long history of lost marques, Packard is probably one of the saddest losses.

Established in 1909 to ‘build a better motor car’, it became in its heyday one of the three ‘P’s of the American prestige car manufacturers in the 1920s along with Peerless and Pierce-Arrow. The latter two fell by the wayside after the Great Depression but Packard managed to struggle on until as late as 1958, when as a result of poor mergers and a last-ditch attempt to survive with Studebaker, it too sank without a trace.

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The 1932 Packard Light Eight ‘shovelnose’ Stationary Coupe Roadster featured here, was a successful attempt to start producing a car to win some of the few dollars that were still around after the Stock Market crash. The ‘shovelnose’ – a description which came about because of the shape of the grille – was a one-year-only model, offered in six body styles direct from the factory.

Packard was something of a technology setter, pushing the standards of luxury and equipment to a higher level at the lower, but not bottom end of the market. The company had always been at the forefront of modernisation and was the first car company to fit a steering wheel, as opposed to a tiller, on a car.

Standard features on the Light Eight included shatterproof glass all round, hydraulic shock absorbers which were adjustable from the cabin, rubber blocks in the engine mounts, a steering damper and fully enclosed, grease-packed springs all of which contributed to a level of ride and handling unheard of at the price. When new, this Packard would have been in the region of $1850, depending on options; about three times the price of a Ford Model A.

The dark red and ivory car pictured in its hideaway storage facility in Dubai is typical of the style and trim available in the early 30s. As far as choice of finish was concerned, ‘those who buy a Packard Light Eight may express their own preferences in selecting from an ample range of colours’ – or so says the original brochure – and this example clearly was a special order with golf bag door, wire wheels, dickey seat with steps, whitewall tyres, the fabulous Lalique crystal radiator mascot and three-tone, coachlined paintwork, all of which were additional cost options.

The Light Eight was a lower car than its peers because of a drop-frame body – the bodywork was fitted over the chassis rather than on top of it – only possible because of the design and engineering that went into the car: the rear axle was canted over and the rear differential offset to allow lower mountings whilst the engine and gearbox were mounted lower in the frame.

The straight eight cylinder engine, at 5.2-litres and 110bhp, along with the three speed, all-synchromesh gearbox and on a 126-inch chassis weighing a shade under two tonnes, gave the Light Eight pretty blistering performance for its day: 23 seconds to 100kph and a top speed of 158kph.

This car is nicely appointed inside too. A comprehensive array of instruments on the flat painted dashboard, behind the eighteen-and-a-half inch steering wheel, covers all the essential conditions. The ignition key is to the right of the main cluster and a self starter is fitted to the extreme left of the driver. The handbrake lever is also located to the driver’s left allowing easy access to and across the car. The interior materials are a combination of crushed leather and broadcloth and the whole is sound insulated.

The Packard models of this period were all about style – famous names had them custom built and Al Jolson, the music hall artist and later film star, had four. In the ’40s, Packards were produced for State use and were the preferred transport of President Eisenhower, King Farouk of Egypt and Czar Nicholas of Russia.

Since the very beginning of the Packard brand, when the Packard brothers were producing horse-drawn carriages, the company slogan was ‘If you want to know more about a Packard, ask a man who owns one.’ So we did, and now you know too.

Fraser
CAR Middle East