Packard 740 Custom Eight 412 Roadster
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Car producer : |
Packard |
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Model: |
740 Custom Eight 412 Roadster |
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Year: |
1929-1930 |
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Type: |
Roadster |
By 1930 the 734 Speedster Series was a full line of cars. The specially designed short, narrow, and lower bodies were built in Packard's own new custom body shop located right on the plant site on East Grand Boulevard. These specially built Speedster bodies and the individual customs on the longer chassis were built in this shop; they carry a black and red body plate on the lower right cowl.
The Speedster Series used 745 components in conjunction with its own specially designed bodies. In the engine compartment was a new breed of Packard. Its exhaust manifold was a separate unit mounted at 45-degrees and finned. It had a large vacuum booster and a dual-throat Detroit Lubricator carburetor, along with a special camshaft and valving.
The brake drums were also finned, for cooling, and it had an optional 3.31 or 4.66 gear ratio.
The 734 Speedster was offered as a Boattail, a Phaeton, a Sedan, a Victoria Coupe, and later, as a Roadster. A total of only 150 734 Speedsters, in all body styles, were sold, and the world economy was sinking further into the Great Depression. Packard discontinued the Speedster Series for 1931.
The very first Speedster was a Club Sedan with a custom body executed for Alvan Macauley. It is estimated that there were a total of 39 Speedster Boattails originally built, of which only eleven are known to survive.
The Sixth Series of 1929 Packards, the Model 626 and 633 were the marque's most important models. They rode on a 126.5- and 133.5-inch wheelbase respectively. Powering these Standard Eight models were a 319 cubic-inch inline eight-cylinder unit that offered 90 horsepower. The Model 626 was available as a 5-passenger sedan, 2/4-Passenger Coupe and the Convertible Coupe. Pricing began at $2,425. Standard features on the Convertible Coupe included roll-up side windows, crank-out windshield and soft-top with landau irons. Their short wheelbase, close-coupled open bodies, rumble seats and golf-bag compartments made these Packards very sporty.
The Model 626 rode on a 126.5-inch wheelbase while the 633 was given a 133.5-inch platform. Mounted under the bonnet was a 319.2 cubic-inch engine that produced 90 horsepower. There was a three-speed selective transmission with a single plate clutch, shaft drive and hypoid differential.
There were three bodystyle available on the 626 and seven for the 633.
