Lot 526: 1936 Packard 14th Series Eight Saloon

Always built to the highest standards, the Packard was unquestionably one of the finest American cars of the pre-war era. First introduced in 1924, the Eight was the first Packard to employ four-wheel brakes. Its sidevalve straight-eight engine developed 85bhp from 5.9 litres, and the Eight line-up initially comprised ten models on two wheelbase lengths. Bijur chassis lubrication and hypoid final drive gears had arrived by 1927, at which time the engine was enlarged to 6.3 litres. A smaller 5.2-litre Standard Eight was introduced for 1929, the larger engine continuing to power the Custom and DeLuxe Eights. The latter was re-christened Super Eight for 1933, by which time all Packards featured synchromesh transmission. Engine improvements were introduced year by year, the big news for 1935 being the introduction of an aluminium-alloy cylinder head permitting an increased compression ratio. Maximum power was raised to 150bhp and top speed to more than 90mph.
The eight-cylinder Packard was in its 14th series (there was no 13th) by the time this right-hand drive example rolled off the Detroit company’s production line in 1936. The new models were essentially a reprise of the 12th series, an extra few degrees of radiator rake being one of the few styling changes made to the ’36 line-up. ‘DGT 150’ was sold new on 27th October 1936 in London, a plaque on the car confirming that it was originally imported into the UK by Leonard Williams & Co, London. In 1955 the car became the property of Dennis Wooldridge, of Hillingdon, Middlesex and appears to have remained with him until around 1966 when it passed to the Sharpe Family Collection. The Packard has almost certainly seen very little use since then, as it displays a tax disc with this year of expiry. The car has been kept stored in the ideal premises of The Gables Service Station since acquisition, thus ensuring that has remained preserved in fundamentally sound condition. Offered with Swansea V5, it will require careful re-commissioning and the customary safety checks before returning to the road.