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

And some of them are incorrectly labeled. I posted a comment on this one quite a while ago.

And I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think the 1923 car was a 6cyl.

There was a Single Six motor available in '23.

Yes there was, but I don't think the Packard race car was a six.

Edit: Looks like it may have been a six: MOM-1923 Packard

Of course, they're also calling the 1916 car a 1919 car so I don't hold their accuracy of descriptions as Gospel.

The photos on the MOM had them identified in title by year the picture was taken. But the NAHC descriptions also list the years of the subject matter. So if a picture of a 1919 car was taken in 1923, then I filed it by 1919. But in this case all the racing photos went into their own category. Most of the descriptions are based off of the notes on the back of the original photos. So who knows.

I agree, and like I say in my edit of my previous post, I don't believe that the accuracy of the labels and descriptions are 100%

This PI article talks about several of the early Packard races including the '299' racer in question:

king-of-the-boards.com/Packard%20International%20DePalma%20and%20Packard.pdf

Looks like it was an aiplane engine.

Looks like the 1923 "122" Packard racer was a six cylinder, with 122cid.

From the PI article:
"The cars were beautiful and had state of the art six cylinder engines. They were well covered by the press in the lead up to the race and given a chance to win. Two of the three drivers, De Palma and Dario Resta had won the 500 before and Joe Boyer would win the next year, 1924. Immediately after the race the cars were sent back to Detroit and two of the three were cut up for scrap and the third at least in part has survived to the present day. Either because of the dismal failure at Indianapolis or a different direction by the marketing or accounting departments of the company, the "122" Packard project was scrapped and all aspects of its existence were suppressed. No photographs of the car under development nor any of the patterns or blueprints have survived. It is as if the car never existed. The original intent was to race the machines against the Millers and Duesenbergs on the board tracks and develop their potential. Jesse Vincent repeatedly discussed this in his diary and the press. De Palma had spent the better part of a year designing and building the cars. He was left without a ride for the season beyond Indianapolis.
The demise of the "122" project effectively ended De Palma's association with Packard in regards to racing. He did work for a Packard dealership in Indiana as a salesman during his retirement in the mid-1930s. What had started with Packard's interest in wartime aero engine development and produced a productive relationship with arguably the best driver in America ended with the corporation parking the beautiful little blue race cars in Detroit."

That really sucks, as they were beautiful cars. I would REALLY like to see some engine pics of the 122, as well as some blueprints. Because if it's anything like a Miller or Duesenberg engine, it would be one hell of an engineering jewel.

I'll second that Eric! I have spent some time on the web and not yet found any engine shots of the 122. I would think that since there is only really the press photos left and the company would not have been giving too much away at the time, there is only a limited chance that we might see any. As you say it is a terrible shame - especially when you consdier that one of the cars qualified on the front row of the grid. What might have happened had Packard had more patience or the team not run out of time?

Quote:

That's what I'm trying to do with my Speedster, show what Packard COULD have done back in the day. Of course, I don't have the 385 engine I wish I had, but will have to do with the 356.....

I am imagining that in a couple of years you and I will have to get together to compare notes - although my brief is a little different/specific and along the lines of "If Packard had built a car for the 1935 Grand Prix season..."

There is no way I can afford to cast an engine block in alloy or such things, but the supercharged straight 8 was the choice of many European teams at the time so...