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Perhaps this is a topic that can generate a bit of interesting chatter. This was data I had generated some time back for my research on the thief-proof numbers which explains why I only went back to 1929; some rainy day I'll fill in the earlier years. It is based on the more or less 7000 surviving Packards listed in the PAC membership directory.

1929 0.24%
1930 0.34%
1931 0.72%
1932 0.98%
1933 2.14%
1934 2.64%
1935 0.38%
1936 0.36%
1937 0.39%
1938 0.39%
1939 0.58%
1940 0.42%
1941 0.52%
1942 0.25%
1946 0.15%
1947 0.37%
22nd series 0.24%
23rd series 0.23%
1951 0.16%
1952 0.14%
1953 0.36%
1954 0.85%
1955 0.71%
1956 1.48%

I can understand the 56 rate, it being for all practical purposes a modern car and the last of the real ones but the 32,33,34 rates is surprising. I had read somewhere that many considered those years as Packards finest so must be true.

Howard, my first thought was that the 1934 & 1956 results symbolize the network and natural habits from Dave because he owns cars from those years.




Quote:

Give Mal a couple of years and you will have a new base.

I think one thing that makes the 32,33 and 34 years interesting is the very large range of offerings coupled with low production.

1934: Total factory offerings were 60 unique combinations of body style, wheelbase and powerplant distributed among just 8000 vehicles produced.

1933: Total factory offerings were 56 unique combinations of body style, wheelbase and powerplant distributed among just 4800 vehicles produced.

1932: This year had a 4th car line, the one year only "Light Eight" added to the Eight, Super Eight and Twelve offered in 1933 and 1934. Total factory offerings were 78 uniquely different vehicles distributed among 16,613 vehicles produced.

1934 was the last year when all Packards were CCCA recognized.

Your numbers seem from a unscientific feeling as right for 32-34 as I see a lot more 33+34s for sale than 32 and production number similiar though 33 and 34s were lower.

I rarely see a 32 Deluxe 8 for sale and almost never an open car from 32.

tbirdman, agreed. The production numbers generally accepted for the 3 years are:

1932 - 16,613
1933 - 4800
1934 - 8000

One point worth remembering on the 1932 numbers is that 6750 of those vehicles were Light Eights (Mod. 900).

Hi Owen et al,

I was considering what to do with a small piece of information, namely a VIN tag in my possession (recently found). It is from a 1951 model 2462 and although I have many parts from that car the car was badly rusted (I am told) and the body parted / destroyed so there is no TPN available for the car.

Was it possibly a RHD Australian vehicle? I cannot be certain about that but seems in my opinion to be likely - one reason being due to the lack of any Paint Scheme or Trim Code details on the tag. I wonder if that absence of those details makes it a bit more likely to have been an Australian car?

Also it seems much less likely that such a car would have been imported post-1951(as a LHD car) as I'm certain it was not being driven any later than about 1975.

Elsewhere there exist 'lists' of cars that have been known to exist and are now known to no longer exist - a kind of reverse list to yours.

I guess the key bit of data gleaned from my sad find is that this car is 'definitely defunct'!

The details are: 2462 - 39029.

If (- and it's a very big 'if') anyone had details of this car it's a tiny lead regarding the life and times of one Packard that was driven in Australia long ago.As you have shown, there weren't that many '51 cars.

Something I wanted to share in case it is of use or interest.

Other than the fact that not all models were available in RHD (but 2462 was), I don't believe there is anything you can tell from the VN tag about whether a car was RHD or LHD. You can sometimes tell by the TPN because the data is pretty overwhelming that they were stamped in batches, in some cases as many as 500. But perhaps our correspondents from 'down under' can comment further.

The paint and trim codes were just stamped with an ink pad type of stamp so the chances are pretty good that the ink just wore off or perhaps was polished off at some point.

Too bad no TPN is available, data for that year is pretty sparse. Not that one can attach any significance to it, but I do have data on a 2462 about 10 VN's away from yours; it's LHD and here in New Jersey.

PS - I don't have the chart handy for 1951, but here's the 54th series page from the Specifications which shows which models were available in RHD; Clippers only, Special, DeLuxe and Super except the Panama.

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