Manufacturer Packard Class Luxury car | Production 1930-35 | |
 | ||
Assembly Packard Automotive Plant, Detroit, MI Body style •2-door roadster
•2-door coupé
•2-door convertible Victoria
•4-door sedan
•4-door phaeton
•4-door dual-cowl phaeton & Sport Phaeton
•town car
•landau Layout Front engine, rear drive | ||
The Packard Eight was a luxury automobile produced by Packard between 1930 and 1938.
Offered in three models, the Standard Eight, Custom Eight, and De Luxe Eight, it was powered by a low-compression aluminum-head L-head inline eight producing 90 bhp (67 kW) (hence the name). Packard ads bragged the engine "floated" on new rubber mounts. Power would be upgraded to 110 hp (82 kW) in 1932 and 120 hp (89 kW) in 1933.
The Eight offered optional (no extra cost) four-speed synchromesh transmission. Like other Packards of this era, it featured Ride Control, a system of dash-adjustable hydraulic shock absorbers. The Eight also featured automatic chassis lubrication and "shatterproof" glass.
The Eight was available on several wheelbases: 127.5 in (3,240 mm) and 134.5 in (3,420 mm) for the 1930 Standard Eight, 140 in (3,600 mm) and 145.5 in (3,700 mm) for the De Luxe in 1931, 130 in (3,300 mm) and 137 in (3,500 mm) for the 1932 Standard Eight. For 1938, the Eight's wheelbase was stretched 7 in (180 mm) over 1937, and the body was also wider.
It was advertised as a two-door roadster, two-door convertible & two-door convertible Victoria (both new for 1932), phaeton, four-door dual-cowl phaeton & Sport Phaeton (a four-door four-seat dual-cowl phaeton new in 1932) two-door coupé, four-door sedan, landau, town car, and limousine. The Packard eight utilized a very rare swivel accelerator pedal, patented by Pat Au back in the early 1900s.
Production of the De Luxe Eight was less than ten per day. It was available in eleven body styles.
In 1930, the Eight was factory priced between US$2425 and US$2885 for the Standard Eight, US$3190 to US$3885 for the Custom Eight, and US$4585 to US$5350. In 1932, prices ranged from US$2250 to US$3250 for the Standard Eight, while the De Luxe Eight started at US$3150. The 1932 Standard Eight was offered in thirteen body styles. In 1933, base price of the Standard Eight was US$2150, and was offered in fourteen body styles. The 1933 De Luxe Eight started at US$3350.
The five-passenger sedan was Packard's best-selling model for years. This helped Packard become the best-selling luxury brand between 1924 and 1930, as well as selling almost twice as many abroad as any other marque priced over US$2000.