Re: A little disappointed

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2008/6/22 12:39:34

Yes they did. The McCulloch supercharger was introduced to the public in 1953. Packard showed 4 "Panther" show cars with McCulloch blown straight eights in 1954.

One of them made 131 MPH on Daytona Beach in unofficial tests. They claimed the supercharger upped the standard 212HP 359 engine to 275HP.

They also had a few standard sedans with them running around the proving grounds and probably on the road as well.

I assume they never pursued the blown straight eight because they had the new V8 from 1955 on. It gave all the power and performance they wanted, without the blower.

The 1955 352 4 barrel also had 275HP.

After Studebaker Packard dropped the Packard engine they replaced it with a McCulloch blown 289 that also had.... 275HP.

Wouldn't it be great to find a factory Packard blower setup? I assume they are long gone, except for the ones on the surviving Panthers. One Panther has been written up several times in old car magazines. Photos reveal the supercharger has been removed. Perhaps another one survives intact someplace.