History

The first Packard was built in 1899 and the last true Packard in 1956. Prior to World War II, Packard was considered one of the top luxury cars in the U.S. The 1930 - 1932 Packard Eights were called the quintessential classic. These large, powerful and finely appointed automobiles were considered the owners' membership into social aristocracy. For example, when compared to the common mans' Model A Ford, the Packard 733, at approximately 5,000 pounds, and room for 7 passengers, was twice as heavy, had over twice the horsepower and carried more passengers in pure luxury. However, this luxury came with a price tag of almost 8 times + / - more than the Model A.

After WWII, Packard focused on more affordable vehicles which, unfortunately, was a major marketing error and quickly led to the demise of the Packard Motor Car Company.