Re: Actually hit 100 mph?
Posted by RogerDetroit On 2014/9/3 19:53:56
In November 1935 Packard wanted to show the public that their new junior cars were just as reliable as the senior cars.
So a 1936 Packard 120 sedan was randomly selected off the production line at the Detroit plant, shipped by rail to the Packard Proving Grounds, and subjected to a grueling 174-hour, 15,432 mile endurance run on the test track. Average speed was 87.5 mph and IIRC that includes the time used for pit stops.
Impressive for the day, but not a 100 mph average. One could speculate that: (1) if you accounted for the time lost in pits stops and (2) the track is oval, that MAYBE the 120 could have hit 100 mph on one of the long straightaways - MAYBE.
In the photo below PPG workers perform maintenance on the car such as refilling fluids and changing tires during one of the scheduled pit stops. Notice the pheasant stuck in the radiator grille.
Also is a photo of Carl Altz, a test track driver that started at the PPG in 1934. He is holding a sign that hung around the outside of the PPG when the November 1935 test was underway. Carl was 96 when I took that photo of him with the sign.
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So a 1936 Packard 120 sedan was randomly selected off the production line at the Detroit plant, shipped by rail to the Packard Proving Grounds, and subjected to a grueling 174-hour, 15,432 mile endurance run on the test track. Average speed was 87.5 mph and IIRC that includes the time used for pit stops.
Impressive for the day, but not a 100 mph average. One could speculate that: (1) if you accounted for the time lost in pits stops and (2) the track is oval, that MAYBE the 120 could have hit 100 mph on one of the long straightaways - MAYBE.
In the photo below PPG workers perform maintenance on the car such as refilling fluids and changing tires during one of the scheduled pit stops. Notice the pheasant stuck in the radiator grille.
Also is a photo of Carl Altz, a test track driver that started at the PPG in 1934. He is holding a sign that hung around the outside of the PPG when the November 1935 test was underway. Carl was 96 when I took that photo of him with the sign.
Attach file:
(101.22 KB)
(95.64 KB)
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