Packard in the auto industry news - back when it was news!

Posted by Kevin On 2016/5/23 16:06:43

What we know today as WardsAuto magazine has been around about as long as there's been an auto industry to report on. They do a monthly look-back at the archives to see what was news in the same month over the decades, and it's always fun to see Packard mentioned! Here are a couple of gems from the May issue -- enjoy!

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WardsAuto Flashback - May 2016

70 Years Ago (May 1946): Packard Sees Turbines

The president of Packard Motors says he foresees gas turbine engines powering cars within 10 to 15 years. However, analysts are skeptical of that timeframe given the difficulties that need to be overcome to make the engine suitable for automotive use. Turbines currently used in aircraft and power generation applications are too bulky and inefficient for use in cars, necessitating a new approach. High rotational speeds, high temperatures and the need for extremely close tolerances are among the problems that must be overcome.

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60 Years Ago (April 1956): More Electric Wipers

A Ward's survey shows factory installations of electric windshield wipers and windshield washers in first-quarter 1956 reached 24.8% and 46.4%, respectively, of industry output. Electric wipers are standard across the board at Chrysler, where all Chrysler-brand and De Soto models come with variable speed units, Dodge and Plymouth have standard single-speed wipers with variable-speed units an option. Neither Ford nor American Motors offer electric wipers. The advantage of electric wipers is they operate at uniform speeds regardless of the throttle position, whereas vacuum wipers tend to slowdown and/or stop the more the throttle is opened and available manifold vacuum is reduced. At the same time, the survey shows General Motors and Packard installed washers on just over 50% of January-March output compared with 45% at Ford, 33% at Chrysler and 22% at AMC. The windshield washer rates include both manual and electrically operated units.