Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I have a 1936 model 120B 2r. Touring Coupe. series 14, body is a 994. I under stand that there was mostly four door sedan's made, as they were the biggest seller. I have been told that very few 2dr. Touring Coupe's were made, is there any way to find out how many made in that year...Thanks in advance for any help....Ted
5/5/15 I just tried to enter the six pictures I have of the 36 120B 2dr. Touring Coupes, including mine. It would not let me load more than one pic, and it's only 200KB. So if some one wanted to see the list, e-mail me at
gasserted@yahoo.com and I will send them.
If and one has knowledge of any more of these cars, please pass it on. Thanks for all the help. Ted

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To the best of the collective knowledge of Packard historians Packard did not keep records by individual body style until well after WW II, or if they did they have not survived or surfaced. But since each year's total production by model is known and each body style within that model has a sequential portion to the vehicle number (the 2nd set of digits on the VN), if you have enough data that includes vehicle numbers for each body style offered, you can produce a statistical estimate of production by body style. Such an analysis was performed some years back by Charles Blackman and published in The Packard Club quarterly magazine, and I have that copy plus Mr. Blackman's private notes and comments.

If no one beats me to it, I'll dig out his estimates for your particular car, tomorrow if possible, and post it here. Yes, the touring coupe is fairly uncommon; typically 4-door sedans were about 80% of production, convertible coupes about 7%, coupes about 5%, the balance between the other body styles. But that said, the typical percentages by body style will vary quite significantly between the junior and senior cars, in part because the seniors had so many more body styles (convertible sedans, phaetons, formal sedans, limousines, chassis-only, etc.) than the juniors. I've only ever worked out these percentages for the 1934 Eight production though based on Blackman's data you could do it as well for your model.

UPDATE: Estimate is 3881 produced.

It looks like you've got yours for sale:
http://stgeorge.craigslist.org/cto/4963877497.html

Yes it is. I have eight cars and I will sell seven of them. I have no more room. If I buy another car, I must sell some thing to make room. The new price on the Packard is 32K, it will be going up more as I continue doing work on it, as I am putting disc brakes in the front and air conditioning. As it will be my cruiser. This is not a fire sale. Thanks Ted

G'day Ted,

Back when you included your Packard in the Registry, there were a couple of instances, here and here, where some help was offered in regard to your query. However not in the depth that O_D has now provided in this current thread.

I am being told that there were 25 two door touring coupes made in 1937. And fewer made in 1936. I still have only found the six including mine. Thanks Ted
And price has been reduced to 22,000. bottom dollar. Have no more room. gasserted@yahoo.com

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Whomever suggested that only 25 120 Touring Coupes were made in 1937 is a bit off the mark - the generally accepted total is 2278 units and it could be more but not less as the estimate is based on the highest surviving vehicle number.

The estimate for 1936, again based on the highest known surviving vehicle number, is 3881 units.

Owen, Thank you for your time to look this up. Are the number's used, the engine number or the number on the fire wall plate. As mine on the plate is 4I03 Four, I, O, 3, does the I represent a One. If so does that tell us that it is largest number found so far... Thanks for all of you help again. Even 4K is not very many compared to the overall unit's made that year. Ted

For the purposes of estimating how many of a particular body style were made, engine or motor numbers are not useful. What is useful is the "vehicle number" as found on the patent plate on the cowl. Beginning in 1932 Packard adopted a vehicle number system sometimes called "BT+PN", or Body Type plus Production Number. The first set of digits establish the year or series, the model and/or chassis, and the body type; the second set is the sequential production number for that specific car. Thus vehicle # 994-4103 would be decoded as 994 = 14th Series 1936, "120" car line, with the Touring Coupe body. 4103 would be the 3103rd such car manufactured (as the numbering started at 1001).

That Mr. Blackman estimates that 3881 "994" cars were produced indicates that VN 994-4881 is known to exist. Thus we know that at least that many were built, perhaps more but not less.

For many years the integer "1" in the numeric font Packard used for vehicle numbers did resemble an upper case "I".