Re: 1931 Packard FWD

Posted by James Butcher On 2011/11/10 12:49:21
Quote:

Owen_Dyneto wrote:
I really couldn't make out much from the photos either. But being a one-off prototype I suppose you could expect almost anything although it was built to be a driving prototype and not an engineering prototype.

What might help understand the situation is knowning more about the timing of events. On what date did Packard abandon the front-drive plan, and on what date was engineering completed for the Twin Six? I believe both these dates are known from Packard board meeting minutes, though I don't have them handy. I've always thought the time span was very short so to find a frame design in the Twin Six that was replaced a year later with a revised (improved?) design wouldn't be all that surprising.

I sort of question your comment that the 903-906 was supposed to be a front-drive car. I had assumed that, had the front-drive come to fruition, it would have been the low-end car line, not the top-end. Just an assumption.

You seem really keen on this topic - perhaps reviewing the Packard board meeting minutes of this era would be worthwhile to you.


I know that at least the Twin Six models were going to be FWD cars.

And that when it came to show time when the FWD project was scrapped, the RWD prototype was rushed and came up with a completely different frame that looks more like the low end Eight cars of 1932. The high end Super 8 and Twin Six had a different chassis so there were two chassis production styles for 1932 and only one for 1933. Part of the puzzle was why the short lived smaller X design of the high end 1932 cars? At first I thought it was initially designed for the FWD cars but not used and altered for the RWD design but after seeing the prototype, they don't match at all. Yet, there could still be a connection between the 903-906 frame and the FWD going into proposed production?

I am not a club member so don't have access to minutes so any help would be appreciated.

Eric

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