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Sad but true story. About 42 years ago, I was stationed in the Long Beach CA Naval Shipyard. As I was walking to my car late one evening, I passed a large scrap metal recycling bin that was open on the top. There I saw two of the aluminum valve covers with the word "Packard" displayed proudly on them. I was very tempted to take them and bring back a bag of soda cans as an exchange. Sure wish I had......

Great pictures . . . those 5M-2500 Packards. I'm fortunate to live close to Portland and have had the pleasure of seeing PT-658. You really sense the meaning of Packard power when they start those up.

Best really is being able to talk to the " Men who bet their Lives on it ". They are the greatest.

Packard 385

The failure of the Packard marine program is one aspect of the company's demise that generally escapes recognition.

They wanted to sell motors the same way as Continental and Honda (the world's largest motor builder) but I've heard mixed reviews. High fuel consumption and high out of service rates.

They were always pushing this "master motor builders" stuff, but really fell far short of GE, Continental, Electro Motive (Winton), and Pratt and Whitney. They didn't have the resources (human capital) to compete with those powerhouses. Their creations were more inspired than the product of a modern engineering division.

The situation today is actually rather bleak for fleet operators as today's diesel trucks have sky high operating costs. I honestly don't know how operator's can stay in business running the clunkers that are being built today. They really are terrible. And of course skilled labpr is being chiselled so bad that they are walking off the job in droves.

So what other motor builders stepped up to supply the war effort with high powered marine engines? So they were not the most efficient engines, who gives a damn? They were out there doing the work that needed to be done. They were the best we had at the time.

(o{}o)

Boy, I just hate to think what it would be like to be out of gas and gunned down. Or out in a fishing boat and unable to escape heavy seas because the darn thing is out of gas. Hello Davy Jones - Nice to meet ya.

After twelve hours normal operation or six hours at torturing maximum speed an empty tank isn't a surprising occurrence. To check the fuel gauge is a basic obligation, regardless of fuel type or engine design.

The picture below is showing the 26-year old skipper of PT-109, John F. Kennedy.





[picture source: www.sfgate.com]

Supposedly, FDR was having real problems with Joe Kennedy and got so angry he instructed the military to make sure his kids never got back from the war. Something to do with interfering with lend lease to curry favor with the Nazis.

When you look at the numbers those PT motors were about as efficient as the 356 Super 8 assuming 5 mpg for the Super 8 at WOT. And the HP per CuIn was about the same, but the Super 8 was a flathead whereas the PT was a supercharged four valve per cylinder adapted from a post WWI airplane motor.

For those who love Packard-driven speedboats, please find attached a wonderful high resolution pic (3544 x 2620 pixel). Enjoy PackardInfo.com!


[picture source: unknown photographer]

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Gerd, Great photo, but are you showing us the whole picture? Is this one of the 4-engined racers? Brave men to drive that boat with either 2 or 4 engines, much less race it. I think the only thing the marine engines had in common with the V-12 Liberty engines is the number of cylinders and the vee configuration. Often mistaken but never confused.

(o{}o)

I believe that engine is a Packard IM-1242 used in Miss America VI, and that photo was taken after winning the 1928 Harmsworth trophy, photo from the NAHC Collection at the Detroit Library. It was 1242 cubic inches (20.4 liters) with 4 valves per cylinder and netting a max of 600 hp at 3000 rpm. Bore and stroke were 5-3/8 x 4-9/16. Lots of details and photos of this and other Packard race boats and engines in Robert Neal's "Packards at Speed". Superb book, if you don't have it, consider buying it.