Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Thanks for the TPN pictures. Mine does not have such a plate. Only the reproduction Patent plate.

Perhaps you could explain to me the nomenclature of the engine block number on my car? It is: C307996A. This is on my 1940 Packard 120 Club Coupe. I was told C did indicate a 120 engine, but I don't know what the A indicates. Thanks.

Hello TWB, I realize this thread is quite old, but I just saw it for the first time. I see your car is from Packard Seattle, so I thought you might like to see an original Packard Seattle plate. This one is from my 1937 Packard Twelve, so it's only a couple of years older than yours.
It's nice to see another car from the same dealership!
Best wishes...

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Ian, thanks for that. It appears that the format of the plate had changed from '37 to '40. Although mine is a repro, I think that the patent numbers as displayed are correct for a 1940 plate.

The VN on my plate is actually a fictional engine number. It was shown on the Seattle tile and then repeated on the Oregon title and then again on the UK title.

I have given up on trying to trace the real VN for my car. It would have been DE 1395-????. However, I was successful in locating and getting the correct engine number on my car changed on my UK registration document.

Seems these numbers are rather elusive as the wrong engine number is stamped on my repro patent plate. How this ever happened is a mystery to the two previous owners and I get no reply from the owner before that would be the only one to have ever seen the original number.

Anyhow I am pleased to see you original plate. Looks good. Consider yourself lucky!

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It appears that the format of the plate had changed from '37 to '40

The 11th thru the 15th series plates were the same style and size, differing in the number of patents cited in the text:

11th thru early 12th series: "...more than eleven hundred..."
Late 12th thru early 14th series: "...more than twelve hundred..."
Late 14th thru the 15th series: "...more than thirteen hundred fifty..."

16th series was the first to list actual patent numbers and was a decal except for Canadian production which continued to use a metal plate of a unique style and rectangular whereas for the Detroit cars the shape changed to a square rather than a rectangle.

17th series thru early 22nd series: same as the 1938 decal except a metal plate.

It's only a few months late but if you haven't found an answer for the suffix A in the motor number yet, this article from Nov 1, 1939 service letter might explain it.

I say again, Packard mechanics must have had or at least needed phenomenal memories. Keeping up with the bulletins mentioning suffixes or dabs of colored paint denoting running changes is a job in itself. At the very least, I hope dealers or service managers had some kind of chart.

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Thanks for the kind words, TWB. I only wish my car looked as nice as yours! Mine's a basket-case restoration project and has been off the road since 1953. Isn't it funny how two cars from the same dealer on the West Coast of the USA ended up in such different places as Montreal, Canada and the UK? It works the other way round too - I know of two British cars here in Montreal that were both sold new by the same dealer in Guildford, England.