I know zero about 'sanctioned' top speeds for Packards and I have not seen or read any Packard info relating to same. I do think, if it was anything back then, like it is today, one would probably not want to be driving their vehicles as purported by advertising anyway! I watch TV ads today of cars, SUV's and trucks being driven offroad and in challenging conditions and can only conclude that if one drove one's new Ford F150 say, like they do in the ads, it wouldn't last a month!!
That being said, I am a firm believer that common sense and one's ears are the best arbiters of how, and how fast to drive any vehicle. With our Packards, there are more than one rear end ratio out there for any given engine and that definitely affects top speed, and tachs are quite rare, (in the stock cars at least) so I believe listening to the engine is the best gauge. It's not hard to 'hear' when a mill is being over-revved and sustained speed and burst speed are two different things. In my '39 Six I find I can run it up to 55-60 in short bursts but 50-55 is a safe and comfortable RPM and speed to operate at, on the highway. I doubt the roads back in the day allowed much more than that anyway, so they were likely designed for that kind of speed/use.
And SU8overdrive, while I appreciate your desire for better accuracy, composition and spelling on the site, I think we have to take into consideration that we have Packard fans from all walks of life and various levels of literacy on the site, and Oxford (or maybe in your case, Harvard) English just 'ain't gonna happen'!
We can all be reminded to give our posts a read before hitting the 'submit' button and that would help a lot. (like on your post: I presume you meant 'why old cars are geared like tractors' and 'add 4 or 5 miles' - easy oversights to commit, but we know what you meant!) Chris

Very neat video, Howard, pretty hi-res for the 30's too! I definitely saw at least a couple of Packards in there. Boy, jay-walking sure wasn't uncommon back then, eh? - seemed more the norm than crosswalks. Chris.

Haven't seen it mentioned here, but was wondering if anybody else caught the subject TV program on the History channel?? It isn't that remarkable as the show guys come up with barn finds and basically just clean them up for resale, but the episode that prompted me to post covered a '56 Patrician found in a barn, where it had sat for 30+ years. It had numerous rodents in it and the segment was called 'The Rat-Pack-ard'. They spent 3 days cleaning and detailing the car, which was very complete and undamaged, flipping it in the end to a Packard seeking customer for a few grand profit. I was taken by how great the car looked with nothing more than carpet cleaning, pressure washing and a whole lot of polishing and scrubbimg. Some die-hard Packard fan got a nice starter car to work on. Chris.

Yes, many 'thanks' to Howard and the countless others who so freely give of their experience, advice and assistance to those of us in need. P.I. is such a premium resource! Chris.

Most tank parts-cleaning machines circulate solvent. In all my parts cleaning endeavours, I've found that and a stiff wire brush to be a great working solution. If that doesn't work, it's media blasting time! Chris.

I've never seen the 'older' version before. How do they work?? I remember the red 'gun' well enough that plugged into the cigarette lighter; I recall my Dad getting one from my Mom for a Christmas present, but that rectangular version is 'new' to me. Chris.

Re the curved glass replacement lenses that a clock shop may have, (same lens for clock and speedo) don't forget that the numbers are painted on the inside of the glass and it might take some doing to replicate the exact pattern for a specific car/year. Chris.

Coker an option, perhaps? I have noticed their per-tire pricing getting pretty steep though, lately. I purchased 4 for my '39 and am very happy with them. Chris.

Sounds chilly in AB. Brian. We woke to -35 two mornings ago. Not sure what that is in degrees F but we all know they are equal at -40 so the comparison doesn't much matter! Hope you have a great Christmas out there! Chris.

Bob,
Oops, At a glance I mistook that for the clock face! Sorry. Who knows how the speedo glass could get broken? If all a guy is looking for is the glass, I'd think there'd be lots of 'cores' on Ebay. Chris.