Re: Packard 446/473 V12

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2015/2/14 9:16:35

As to why superchargers never took off, my guess would be noise/vibration/harshness, durability, cost and complexity.

Fully agree. The luxury makers like Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Lincoln, Cadillac, Marmon, etc. were primarily interested in competitive power, high torque at low speeds, smoothness, and near-silence from their engines as that's what their clientele demanded and which isn't particularly compatible with adding a supercharger.

Packard did experiment with a supercharger on their big Eight in 1929 or 1930, there are photos of that experimental engine on this site. Superchargers were pretty much left for the high performance luxury cars like the blower-Bentley and K (Kompressor) series Mercedes and SJ Duesenbergs, though some lesser cars like Auburn and Graham tried it as they were desperate for a marketing edge - it didn't help them sell their cars.