Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

We recently found some documentation on a 1948 Packard my father owned in the 50s. As you can see from the attached letter from the California DMV, he sold it in August 1958 to Mr. Herbert Gurtner, and it was Engine Number G609834-C, CA License HFW 672.

In another document he describes it as a "late 1948 150 sedan" and that it had, "overdrive, electronic clutch, South Wind heater, good radio, puncture-proof tubes, etc." He also used to tell me it had a Mohair interior.

As far as I can tell from this site, it was a Custom Eight (is that correct?), but I cannot tell if it was a Club Sedan or a Touring Sedan (unless the -C means Club).

Anything anyone can tell me about this car would be appreciated. And if anyone happens to know if it still exists and where, that would be fantastic.

Thanks,

Brian.

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That engine number does make it a 1948 [22nd Series] Custom. I think it would be very rare that a South Wind heater would have been used in a 1948 Custom as Packard provided a factory installed, fresh air system that took advantage of the built in air ducts. Unless it was re-done, the interior would most likely have been a fine wool broadcloth with the Shadow Check pattern (not Mohair).

Finding the car today with just the engine number would be difficult at best. If you had the serial number you might have a better chance.

Thank you, JD.

Unfortunatey, the engine number (well, and license plate) is all I have. It seems at that tme California was using engine numbers for titles. The description mentioning the South Wind is from the fourth page (and only page we have) of a letter to Packard, so I doubt he would have misstated, but who knows? Is an electronic clutch an automatic? Nowadays it would be Formula One paddles. Was the overdrive electronic? How did that work with an automatic?

Did Packard keep records which are now available which I could search for further information?

My mother describes the car as being "beige."

Brian.

It was Electro Matic clutch which was Packards name for a vacuum and electrically operated clutch introduced in 41. A revised and simplified postwar version was kept in production for competitive reasons and was available until 50 when Packards fully automatic transmission called the Ultramatic was finally introduced and eliminated the need for an automatic clutch.

In theory once the engine was started you never needed to touch the clutch pedal in normal driving. With a combination of switches and a throttle operated valve all the clutch work was done automatically. It works but theory was more optimistic than fact and there are occasions where the foot works better than the theory -- particularly if something was out of adjustment.

The overdrive (called AeroDrive prewar, EconoDrive postwar) was the same basic Borg Warner overdrive many other mfgs used. It was engaged electrically when a governor sensed speed was appropriate and signaled a solenoid to engage the mechanical aspect. The clutch and overdrive was only available with the standard transmission. Frequently they were sold together but either could be had alone.

Back to the Ultramatic. Packard designed and built their own automatic transmission which was quite an accomplishment for a small independent company with limited resources. Other than GM with their vast engineering resources and much later, Chrysler none of the other mfgs built their own automatics without teaming up. Packards was essentially a single speed no shift torque converter unit but did have the torque converter lock out above a certain speed to eliminate converter slip. It was amusing to see all the ads and think of Packard when Chrysler "invented" that particular function again in the early 70s.

As to any records, most that survived are scattered with a few here or there but nothing in great quantity. A considerable amount of material was destroyed or lost. If the car is still around you may be lucky and find it listed in a roster keepers files but getting anything official is probably not going to happen.