Great Cars: PACKARD

hundreds of car companies have come and gone few left the legacy of packard cars favored by presidents diplomats hollywood's royalty and the very wealthy who quietly demanded the best they still attract a loyal following packard made an indelible mark on automotive history and then disappeared [Music] so works of art often become more valuable long after the artist is dead collectors lament their passing and snap up their work this is true of packard these cars considered by some to be works of automotive art have continued to gain a following even though they haven't been built for over 40 years [Music] at one time it was considered to be the rolls royce of the united states the top luxury car maker that outsold cadillac and lincoln it was the shining star of the american automotive world no one could imagine the impact this company would have when the first packard drove down the streets of warren ohio in 1899 the two packard brothers james and william collaborated on this project as they had on developing the business empire that employed most of the town [Music] like many american success stories this family started with nothing and earned their fortune through hard work their father came to warren around 1850 and went to work within two years he owned the town's only hardware store soon he owned hardware stores in three other towns then lumber and steel all of which laid a solid foundation for his two sons to build on they were interested in what was new in 1890 they started to make light bulbs but the real light switched on when they read about the first automobiles being built by carl benz and got leaked daimler in germany they saw an actual car on the road when a doctor from a nearby city drove through warren the whole town lined up to get a ride in the doctor's car one year later the packards heard about alexander winton and the cars he was building in cleveland [Music] producing five cars a year made him one of the biggest american automobile manufacturers by 1898 james packard bought the 13th winton and started to drive the 60 miles back to warren it was an immediate disappointment it broke down several times packard finally had to hire a team of horses to tow his brand new car home he got the winton running the next day but it never performed as well as he thought it should he'd studied engineering and offered wynton his suggestions about how to improve the cars winton retorted that if he thought he could build a better car he should [Music] with the help of wynton's sharp foreman william hatcher and major investor george weiss james and his brother launched the packard motorcar company in july 1899 their first car was ready by november like the winton it was basically a single seat motorized buggy there was a tiller for steering it's one cylinder rear-mounted engine was capable of speeds up to 40 miles per hour within two years they'd built 80 cars and become one of winton's major rivals they were catering to a wealthy clientele who could afford the cars stiff 2500 dollar price some greater than most workers made in a year sales grew so fast they didn't think to create any sales literature when a potential customer called asking for a brochure james packard told him to ask the man who owns one this would be packet's ad slogan for all time in 1903 packard was determined to demonstrate that his car was rugged and reliable he sponsored the first drive across the united states winton heard about this and found someone to take one of his cars across the country it became a race [Music] most of the trip was across deserts and rugged terrain this was still the wild west what roads existed were usually wagon trails newspapers carried accounts of this amazing journey the trip was rather like charles lindbergh's flight across the atlantic a nearly impossible feat that captivated the public and gave everyone a glimpse of the future the winton had left san francisco earlier and made it to new york first but the packard's old pacific completed the long journey in less time packard's rugged and reliable cars impressed henry joy who liked his so much he wanted to buy the company joy a wealthy detroiter was passionate about his packard his enthusiasm encouraged some friends to buy as much packet stock as they could by 1903 they'd invested over 250 000 and now control the company joy wanted it to grow he moved it to a new factory in the center of the booming automotive world detroit the packard brothers didn't want to leave ohio and drifted away from the company joy was in charge by 1904 joy was producing the model l a four-cylinder car capable of speeds approaching 45 miles per hour it was not only fast it was good looking it no longer looked like a motorized buggy [Music] the model l was the first to sport the uniquely shaped radiator shell that became a packard hallmark [Music] he produced the model n and then the s by late 1905 in 1906 the cars started to be named after the amount of their engine horsepower the s became the 24. this car was dubbed the mile a minute after it reached 60 miles per hour in high gear while performance appealed to buyers racing didn't hold joy's attention he was content to sell his 4 000 plus cars to blue bloods who liked power but not spectacle [Music] joy introduced his next car another four-cylinder the model 30 in 1907 this was the first packard to sell more than a thousand cars a year joy was confident he could challenge the best luxury cars of the era in 1912 he launched a six-cylinder car to compete with peerless and pierce arrow these companies became known as the three p's joy was elated but he also wanted to explore the world outside of the manicured lawns of gross point michigan he began to take cross-country car trips exploring the still undeveloped west he realized that the united states if it were to grow needed a reliable highway system this would also stimulate the auto business in 1913 he took over the task of raising money to build the first transcontinental road the lincoln highway this transformed the country no longer would people be born raised and die within a 25 mile radius the span of a day's horse and buggy ride the world shrank as people hit the road while joy's expansive vision propelled the country forward he clashed with his conservative board of directors in 1916 they rejected his plans to expand packard and he resigned [Music] alvin mccauley took over as chairman he guided the company for 40 years packard was building upwards of ten thousand cars a year and earning six million dollars for the corporate treasury mccauley wasn't fixated on expansion he wanted to build high-priced luxury cars for gentlemen his vice president of engineering jesse vincent understood this and developed a succession of cars to fit the bill [Music] he brought attention to the company with his twin six it was the first 12-cylinder engine in a production car its precision engineering provided reliable balanced smooth power it changed the way engines were developed [Music] over 10 000 twin sixes were sold in the first year alone not only did they fly out of the showrooms the twin six took to the air serving as the basis for the liberty aircraft engines in world war one after the war these engines turned up in record-breaking speed boats packard was in the headlines when they broke the world speed record in 1922 exceeding 122 miles per hour [Music] ralph de palma made packet cars synonymous with speed when he clocked 149 miles per hour packet's fame continued to spread [Music] for buyers less interested in speed macaulay introduced a single six it was a failure at first but a redesign generated over 10 million dollars in less than 40 days in 1923 the single eight was launched it would become a classic [Music] this fundamental engine design became a mainstay until the nineteen fifties it was lighter than the twin six and ran so smoothly you could balance a coin on the cylinder head the packet eight and the packet six set all-time sales records one key to mccauley's success was that he fostered an environment where quality and craft held equal footing with high production volume [Music] it started with the best materials possible like lumber harvested trimmed and shaped to packard's exacting requirements [Music] old-fashioned craftsmanship blended with modern technology to keep the company moving ahead packard's influence continued to grow among wealthy buyers who had made it who wanted others to know it but wished to show off discreetly this didn't deter packets dealers from erecting palatial showrooms for their regal cars [Music] these elegant cars were tested at packard's own proving grounds this one million dollar facility opened in 1928 to give engineers a venue to rigorously challenge their ideas it's perfectly banked track was called the world's fastest speedway chief engineer vincent personally tested cars some thought he built the proving grounds just so he could drive fast the miles of hills dirt paths sand and water pits gave packards a workout before they were released packard was soaring but it hit a speed bump when the stock market crashed in 1929 most people thought the market collapse would quickly correct itself they couldn't believe that the good times of the 1920s were over within one year packet sales fell by half a series of price cuts couldn't stop the decline macaulay started to develop cars that would appeal to people who still had money but were just loath to spend it these cars had to be the finest most beautiful vehicles ever created to attract the reluctant rich [Music] other luxury car makers shared mccauley's tactics it was a war fought with custom bodies 12 cylinder engines and then v-16s anything to give a car maker ammunition to defeat a competitor [Music] this innovating combat spawned the most grandiose and expensive cars ever produced ironically it was a time of devastating economic conditions for millions around the world the most beautiful packets were one-of-a-kind customs and limited editions the 1933 formal sport sedan is considered to be the most important packet built during this time it was created for packard's exhibit at the 1933 century of progress exposition in chicago [Music] the car's low roof line v windshield and sweeping fenders accented its long extended hood there was no cowl the hood blended into the windshield its sparkling paint appeared to be gold brown or pearl as the light changed the interior featured gold-plated hardware its paneling was build carpathian elm the back of the front seat was a cabinet on the right a full-length dressing case on the left a drop-down table the car still wowed the crowd and set packard apart from its competitors it stimulated demand for other custom packets like the v windshield bodies created by the dietrich and labaran companies between 1932 and 34. dietrich's six different body styles ranged from stunning convertibles to grand sport fertons each had a raked windshield that set it apart from standard production models it had unique features like a rear seat windshield that slid out of the way when you open the door and automatically returned when the door closed these cars appealed to demanding buyers not to be outdone lebaron produced custom bodies for packards that some call the hope diamonds of automobiles it's believed that only four of each type of packard lebron was made these rare cars are worth millions today clark gable owned one of these lebarons but he had it further customized the windshield and top were lowered running boards removed and teardrop step plates installed this was a streamlined car in the streamlined era these dietrich and lebaron-bodied packets are among the most valuable cars in the world today while these cars were beautiful they weren't enough to keep the company afloat macaulay and vincent changed course and came out with a medium priced car the 120. the economy was on the rebound and the 120 caught the recovery wave packard set an all-time record in 1937 when it sold 109 000 cars the once again prosperous middle class welcomed the chance to drive a car with such an elite pedigree this success gave executives within the company an idea kill off the luxury or senior cars one independent and stubborn stylist resisted the change howard darren called dutch by everybody he convinced management to let him restyle the large cars and give them some life [Music] besides being an innovative designer darren was a dashing polo player world war one hero and heir to the otis elevator fortune movie mogul daryl zanik who needed him for his polo team had lured him away from paris world war ii was threatening europe and darren couldn't resist the offer to safely bask in hollywood's warm sun [Music] setting up shop on sunset boulevard allowed him to keep designing cars in between polo matches and hobnobbing with movie stars clark gable commissioned his first car packard executives saw the results and turned up their noses they disapproved of darren calling him a playboy but he was too good to ignore [Music] eventually packard turned to darren for help with his new clipper while the company tried to distance itself from him you can see his hand in the sweeping lines of the car [Music] he'd escaped the onslaught of war in europe but it finally reached the united states [Music] in 1942 the demands of world war ii shut down auto production the world would have to wait years for any new cars packard's cars were pressed into service as staff cars for presidents generals and other dignitaries visiting the front lines they turned in their custom packets for olive drab clippers while the cars were reliable packard's ability to produce the merlin aviation engine under license from rolls royce endeared the company to allied aviators over 55 523 packet merlin's helped beat back the german luftwaffe the merlin-powered p-51 mustang soared as the air war raged over germany this fuel-efficient yet powerful engine allowed the mustang to protect the bombers as they flew from england all the way to berlin and back when he saw the mustangs over berlin hermann goering the rice marshal of the luftwaffe said we've lost the war he was right and by 1945 it was finally time for all of packard's employees to come home and get back to building cars pent-up demand created a boom for all car makers including packard but packard's new president max gilman was caught with another man's wife the resulting scandal doomed his career and some say led to the demise of the company aging chairman alvin mccauley couldn't bear the thought of this man running his company he fired gilman gilman's replacement george christopher didn't have the same verve and sense of style the 1948 clipper the first car to come out during his reign was derisively called the elephant or the bathtub packard fell behind general motors cadillac it couldn't compete with cadillac's smooth automatic transmission and new v8 engine packard like the other independents struggled to compete with a giant automaker that would capture over 70 percent of the market packard's straight 8 was a good engine but americans wanted power and flocked to the competition there were some brief signs of success in 1953 packard introduced an eye-catching new car the caribbean created by a talented young engineer named john delorean its sleek classy design appealed to young hollywood stars and had become a classic but in the end it was not enough they were still trying to compete head-on with gm it was a losing battle a desperate merger with studebaker in 1954 only made matters worse studebaker's financial shape was as bad as packards the resulting cars didn't sell by 1959 packard was gone [Music] the company disappeared but its stunning cars remain they're a reminder of how much charm and personality a car can have [Music] it was a company that delivered cars of exceptional quality right from the start they were grand cars that were elegant yet understated cars built for people who demanded the best by people who wanted to create the ultimate american luxury car [Music] packard will be remembered as one of the greats just ask the man who owns one [Music] you

Channel: King Rose Archives

Views: 324,346

Rating: 4.8442121 out of 5

Keywords: Packard, Luxury cars, James Ward Packard, Henry Bourne Joy, Tuman Handy Newberry, Packard Merlin, Packard carribean, Studebaker Packard

Id: 5wBEqB85vAw

Length: 25min 5sec (1505 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 25 2017