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

Hi Everybody,

I just got my issue of Hemmings Classic Car for April, wherein they rate the most powerful cars by decade. I was initially disappointed to see that for 1940's cars, the 356 cu. in. Packard came in second to Cadillac when equipped with a V-16. Then I considered the fact that it took another eight cylinders and all of the accompanying complexity for the Caddy to gain a measley 20 hp! IMHO, the big Packard eight is far and away the better engine. Those of us lucky enough to own Supers and Custom Supers probably already knew that!

Mark
Palmer, Alaska

I don't have a problem with picking the last year of the V16 as it noses into the 40's. I think the livelier debate is the Packard 356 vs the Buick. Cadillac V8 and Lincoln V12 are not contenders to me.

Quote:
You are correct... and the Lincoln V12 should not even be in the same sentence.

Can't wait to get my 47 Custom Super back from the engine rebuild, so I can flex it's vaunted 356 muscle.

Packard 356 is quite an engine but the 160, 180 and Customs were heavy cars.I should know, I have a 22nd series Custom Eight. The Buick 320 has about the same horsepower and in a Century, you probably had the fastest car on the road back then.

I think a 40 160 business coupe or a 46-7 Super Club Sedan, either with OD, would be the fastest match for a Century. Oh dear, I hear a babbit babble approaching

Yes, I've heard the 160 coupe is quite a performer. I don't know if it would beat a twin-carbed lightweight Buick or not, but who knows.

Regarding GTO's comment above. 1940-47 Packard 160/180 and their Clipper versions on the standard wheelbase weigh less than Buick Century/Roadmaster, and Cadillac. BTW, the weight difference between a 1942-47 160/Super Clipper club and touring sedan is only 45 lbs., and would have little effect on top speed, or acceleration. The 1948-50 bathtubs weigh 200 lbs. more than accordant Clippers.

Even with the troublesome, sparkplug-fouling 1941-42 Compound Carburetion, Packard's 356 still put out more torque, which is what gets you through the gears. The 1941-42 dual-carb Century/Roadmaster (same wheelbase) put out a few more horsepower, but very, very few were ordered with the no cost optional 3.6:1 "economy" rear axle in place of the standard 3.9.

I posted on the CCCA years ago trying to find some SAE, Automotive Industries, etc. documented, AAA-sanctioned absolute speed runs of the above Buicks and Packards. Lotta conjecture, but no one came through. Perhaps, given the focus on War II, sanctioned top speed runs of expensive cars were overshadowed, if run.

The 1940 US stock car speed record, AAA-sanctioned, was set by a '40 Hudson 254-ci L-head inline eight, certainly with overdrive, at 93 mph. Apparently Packard, and Buick, didn't bother entering that contest, as either of them would eclipse that-- certainly a '40 160 w/ overdrive.

But the question remains, and we'd love to see documented, sanctioned, period results. My surmise is that since the Buick's maximum hp was at 3,800 rpm, 200 rpm higher than Packard's 356, if, IF, and only IF the '41/'42 Compound Carb Buick was equipped with the rare 3.6:1 rear cog, it might do a couple mph higher than the Packard, tho' considering the Packard's modern insert bearings and finer overall quality, would not hold up as long at sustained extreme speed.

Finally, at the opening of the new 160-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1940, half the cars carrying politicians and dignitaries were furnished by area Buick and Cadillac dealers, the other half by area Packard dealers. With all that money, ego, testosterone, the result was an impromptu race from one end to the other of the new Turnpike. Various of the GMobiles retired along the way, hoods open from overheating and worse.

Every single Packard sailed through to the end. Not one (1) Packard was sidelined.

Shortly after, at the urging of "....a certain Detroit automaker...", the Pennsylvania Turnpike, meant to be unlimited speed like Hitler's recent Autobahn, was "Limited" to (Series) 70 mph. (Unsure whether this came from Flint, Clark Street, or their holding company's corporate suites across the street from the Fisher Building.)

But none of this surprises us Packardites. What we still would love to see are sanctioned top speed runs of 1940-47 Packard 160/180 on the standard 127-in wb, and Century/Roadmasters from those years. It took someone on the CCCA Forum to find the 1976 Jack Palance Prestone Packard Super Clipper commercial. Let's see if someone on PackardInfo can find the above, if they exist.

According to Buick expert Terry Dunham, GM found the '41 Centurys equipped with the 3.6 axle were capable of 110mph. Dunham personally raced a dual-carbed 1941 Buick with 4.10 rear gears in the mid-'60s. He might be a good person for you to get a hold of.

The most successful drag racer around 1960-62 was Paul Hatton, using a 1939 Century coupe. Hatton won the L/Stock and Little Eliimator titles at the 1961 and 1962 NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis. The car set a national record for its class and was capable of quarter-mile speeds in excess of 80mph.

Not a sanctioned event or even a documented trial, but the author of the article on a 1947 Custom Super club sedan that appeared in the Hemmings book on Packard (ISBN 0-917808-58-4) estimated the top speed as high as 108 mph.