Packard - Bentley/RR Similarity

Posted by markb57 On 2014/10/9 10:18:43

A few years ago there was a thread about the similarity between the immediate post-war British luxury cars and the Packard. The discussion mainly centered around the styling. After some poking around the Bentley sites, I discovered that they are not at all bashful about saying the Packard 120 was the "inspiration" for the front suspension design. But a close look reveals suggests that the immediate post-war Bentley/RR chassis/suspension was almost a dead copy of the Packard 120. The Mk VI & R-type wheelbase was 120 inches, and the front suspension is virtually identical to the pre-war Packard IFS. Compare chassis shots of Mk VI or R-type Bentleys (and their RR twins) to Packard 120 chassis shot...you can barely tell the difference!

It occurred to me that there were plenty of Packard staff cars in England during WWII, and RR/Bentley had to have a more economical, yet more advanced car for the reality of the market in the post-war years.

Has this been investigated anywhere, or discussed on this forum? I am a newbie to Packard interest, but I haven't found much of a discussion so far.

Thanks!
markb