American Classic Cars

Packard was an American luxury automobile brand (Packard Motor Car Company) which later became part of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of Indiana. The first Packards were produced in 1899 and the last was made in 1958.

In the 1930s, Packard attempted to beat the Great Depression by manufacturing more expensive cars than it had before 1929. The Packard Twin Six was introduced for 1932 and renamed the Packard Twelve for the remainder of its run (through 1939). In 1932, Packard promoted an upper-medium-priced car called the Light Eight.

To address the need for a lower-priced line, Packard started producing more affordable cars in the medium-price range. In 1935, it built its first $1,000 car, the Packard 120. To produce the 120, Packard built and an separate factory. By 1936, the labor force at Packard was divided evenly between the high-priced "Senior" lines (Twelve, Super Eight, and Eight) and the medium-priced "Junior" models.  More than ten times more Juniors were produced than Seniors because the 120 models were built using modern mass production techniques, while the Senior Packards used more hand labor and traditional craftsmanship. The Junior models were very fine cars; they were just not in the same quality league as the Seniors. Although Packard could not have survived the Depression without the very lucrative Junior models, the Juniors did have the effect of diminishing the Senior models' stellar and exclusive image among the few who could still afford an expensive luxury car.