Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

FYI this article in Hemmings has a link where a "former Chevrolet engineer Bill Howell claimed the Mark III Chev BB V8 designation was to have been applied to Packard's V-8, should GM have bought that tooling".

Fairly well-known and previously discussed.

Chevrolet Engineering had four different next-generation big block studies going in parallel. The "not-designed-here" and possible PR negatives to buying a dead horse made buying the Packard V8 design and tooling a non-starter.

jack vines

I'm almost done with reading The Fall of the Packard Motor Company and just passed the point where they were talking with GM. Maybe I need to reread that section but I came away with the impression that the talks weren't anything but that - just talking - and eventual rejection by GM.

To hear/read that GM could have reserved the Mark III designation of their big blocks to use with the Packard V8 is very interesting. Tells me maybe it was more than just talk - or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Either way, while, evidently, a well-known & thoroughly discussed topic for those not previously exposed to or currently immersed in the Packard story, it is certainly interesting and helpful to get up to speed. Thanks for helping the newbies!

As always, great people and great history on this site -

~Q

As mentioned, the S-P talks were with Chevrolet Engineering; at that point in time each division had its' own Engineering Department, as there was no GM Engineering. They had four design teams looking at the future large displacement engine options: modifying the existing 348-409", putting porcupine heads on that block, buying the Packard tooling and a clean-sheet block design using the porcupine heads. Naturally, engineers like to do new stuff, so the clean-sheet block design won.

jack vines