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There was a press release on the introduction of the V8 that said they had tested the new engine extensively, and at high speeds it had a life of 100,000 miles or more compared to 18,000 for the straight eight.

They must have been talking about driving continuously at speeds of 90 - 100 on Packard's world famous test track.

I'm still puzzled by why they built a 5 main bearing and a 9 main bearing 327 at the same time.

It's really impossible to answer a question like this. Best for what? Best when?

Which was the best when compared to its contemporary rivals?

Which was the best in horsepower?

Which gave the best fuel economy?

Which sold the best?

Which is the most reliable or long lived?

Which makes the most usable collector car today?

Which is the cheapest to repair?

All these might have different answers.

You might also say the V8 had it over all of them. Which would be true but irrelevant if the question only allowed a straight answer lol.

I did some work on a Speedster 8 that had not had motor work in decades. When I checked the rod bearings I was stunned to find that, except for darkening, the babbit was like new and the clearances were .002. The only other motors I've seen that exhibited that evidence of true hydrodynamic lubrication is the Rolls-Royce Six which would last the life of the owner if properly maintained.

There is something about the Speedster bottom end that is special. And very expensive. The car was intended for 80-90 mph cruising and it shows.

The reason is model and price point. The "more" car you bought, the more engine you got.

5 bearing Solid lifters for the 200s (aka Clippers) (288s & 327s)
5 bearing Hydro lifters for the 250/300s (327s)
9 bearing Hydro lifters for the 400s (327s & 359)

Obviously there were "engine upgrade" options available. 288 hydro lifters instead of solid. 327 instead of 288 etc.

But here is the standard 51-54 Breakdown:

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Thanks for the input everyone.

My original question was about the best Packard inline 8. Defining best in terms of dependability and longevity. To at least my current satisfaction this question has been answered and I'm pleased the Patrician has a 9 bearing engine.

So it looks like the limousines had the 212 hp and the commercials either 150 or 212 hp.

A good thought Pat that length of life is a function of a shorter stroke.

Rusty I define "best" in the terms above because I've always had the persuasion that the primary quality of an automobile of prestige needs to be dependability and longevity. Cadillacs for example were always expensive and more or less luxurious - and flashy -- cars but I am not sure whether they ever had a reputation for durability. Of course long life alone is probably not sufficient to characterize a prestige vehicle. Quality of appointments and design also are important.

Mercedes cars of the 1970s come to mind as possibly the most recent line of vehicles having these characteristics. Solid luxurious and long lived at least the diesels. Mercedes of that period may have come closest to representing what Packard did in its prime. Somehow Mercedes seems to have gone downhill in dependability since then and I am not sure of the reasons for this deterioration.

Rolls Royces were always outstandingly elegant. But in the last fifty years were they ever exceptional in terms of mechanical integrity? In what cars was this Rolls Royce 6?
WHAT is special in the bottom of the Speedster engine? (Too many questions.)

The most reliable and long lived cars of course seem to be Toyotas. But they don't quite have the character of a luxury car. Of course there's Lexus. Maybe Lexus is the modern equivalent of a Packard.

Sometimes I like to go to the U-Pull-It yard in Albuquerque - not to buy parts but just to look at cars. I also look at the odometers of cars with mechanical displays. A recent excursion there yielded the finding that no car I saw had exceeded 280K miles and there were few having reached this figure. The only ones were a Toyota naturally one Subaru one BMW - BUT not a large BMW this was a 3 series with a larger 6 cyl engine - one Mercedes BUT it was a diesel - and exceptionally one Volvo. I say exceptionally because most Volvos it seems don't have engines lasting that long. Be advised that on this occasion I did not look at any American production to compare.

All of which is a certain amount of opinion but it may generate additional commentary.

If anyone knows other Packard owners in Albuquerque I'd like to make contact. I tried a SW Packards email but did not get a response.

Go to the PAC directory, there are a few Packard owners in the Albuquerque area. You will be surprised at the quality of the cars they have.

(o{}o)

Guess it depends what You like or are trying to accomplish. In my youth I tried a number of times to break a 288, 327 with a WCFB, and rode a 385 pretty hard on occasion. Wouldn't even think of doing that with them now . . . but, even with that misuse they always got me home.

Packard 385

Speaking of dependability and reliable performance. Maurice Hendry is an expert on American luxury cars of the twenties and thirties. He thinks well of Packards, but has said that for sheer grinding hard work nothing can beat a V8 Cadillac. In this case he was talking about a fleet of touring cars used for limousine and tour service by a hotel in the Southwest in the twenties and thirties.

The problem with postwar motors is they crack blocks in direct proportion to displacement.