Re: Racing Packards of the 1930's???

Posted by John Harley On 2009/11/30 23:02:18

Snapey


Packard's factory auto racing days, such as they were ended in the early 1920's after a less than lackluster showing at Indianapolis-1922 or 1923. Jesse Vincent had developed interests in airplanes and speedboats by this time. Packard did considerable business in aviation and marine engines for a number of years. This was a bigger market than performance cars in this country at the juncture, so Packard's somewhat limited resources were spent on the planes and boats. Jesse Vincent did have one speedster built but it lived on the Proving Grounds. There was a limited run of Speedster derived cars built in 1929 and 1930, but they were not even advertised.

Competition was left to the specialists in the 20's-Miller and Duesenberg. Races where held on closed dirt and wood tracks, so the cars were specialized and not suitable for road work. Roads in most places will still marginal to nonexistent. European roads were less primitive and had less traffic to run into with a fast car. When a Duesenberg won the French Grand Prix in 1921 the French were so incensed that they did not play the American anthem for the winners and barely spoke to them.


The advent of the Depression killed the Millers and Duesenbergs and led to the "junk" formula, modification of production cars. Fords, Buicks and Studebakers seemed to be the preferred platforms. Road racing and such waited until after the war in this country,

So, no Super 8 hot rods or Bentley eaters....Alvan Macauley would have been aghast anyway.

Regards

John Harley