Hi All,

I'm guessing that this is the right place for this question. It straddles the war years, but I think you folks will know. Pre-war Packard introduced an advanced IFS design, I think on the 120(?) Does anyone know how long this basic design was in place? Was it still in use through the '50s? How swappable are the suspension/chassis parts through this time frame?

If there is a thread or web link with this info, I welcome a link gladly!

Thanks for any info offered!

markb

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

I know this is a long-since-quiet thread, but to get it back on the main track, the immediate post-war Bentley/RR chassis/suspension/body 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! IF you poke around Bentley sites, you will find that they make no attempt to hide this. Think about it....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. Pretty cool!