1936 Packard Eight Sedan

This 1936 Packard Eight features number 903 five-passenger sedan bodywork, and it was delivered new to its first owner via the Packard Motor Company of Boston in September 1936. The car is finished in tan over matching cloth upholstery, and power comes from a 320ci straight-eight paired with a three-speed manual transmission. Equipment includes adjustable ride-control suspension, mechanical drum brakes, 17″ painted wire wheels, dual side-mount spare wheels, a Goddess of Speed mascot, a fold-down luggage rack, a storage trunk, an AM radio, and a rear cabin robe cord, a footrest, armrest, and cigar lighters. This Fourteenth Series Packard is now offered in Walnut Springs, Texas, at no reserve with literature, car show awards, and a clean North Carolina title. Introduced in August 1935, the Fourteenth Series Packard models carried over much of the previous model year’s styling while gaining an increased radiator slope, revised fenders, and chrome headlight trim strips. The Eight was offered across eighteen body styles, including the 903 sedan. This example is finished in tan and features chrome bumpers, a Goddess of Speed mascot, running boards, rear-hinged rear doors, dual taillights, a Packard-branded luggage rack, and a storage trunk. Brown-painted wire wheels wear bright Packard Eight-branded hubcaps, and they are mounted with 7.00–17 Firestone whitewall bias-ply tires. Matching spare wheels are mounted under body-color hard covers in the fenders and are topped by mirrors. The Packard Eight rode on a 127″ wheelbase and features leaf-sprung solid axles with double-acting hydraulic lever-arm shock absorbers that can be adjusted for firmness via the Ride Control knob under the dash. Stopping power is provided by mechanical drums at all four corners. The cabin features a front bench seat trimmed in tan cloth, while reddish-tan cloth upholsters the rear passenger compartment. Equipment includes a woodgrain dashboard and window trim, dual gloveboxes, and an AM radio, while the rear cabin is outfitted with a robe cord, a footrest, a fold-down armrest, and cigar lighters. There is a tear in the driver’s seat upholstery. The three-spoke steering wheel fronts a bright dash panel housing a 120-mph speedometer, a clock, and combination gauges. The five-digit odometer shows 76k miles, and total mileage is unknown. The 320ci straight-eight features nine main bearings and a Stromberg carburetor. Output was factory rated at 130 horsepower. The engine is said to have been rebuilt in September 2005. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission. The firewall-mounted plaque lists the car as a Fourteenth Series Packard Eight number 903 five-passenger sedan that was delivered to the Packard Motor Company of Boston, Massachusetts, on September 3, 1936.