Packard Standard Eight: the eight-cylinder Packard most buyers chose

The Packard Standard Eight was the eight-cylinder Packard for buyers who wanted the senior engine without the senior price. Introduced in 1928 and sold until 1936, it sat on shorter wheelbases than the Custom and De Luxe Eights, offered thirteen or fourteen body styles in the early 1930s, and its five-passenger sedan was Packard’s best seller for years.

Packard Standard Eight at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Packard Eight, which describes the Standard Eight within the line.

History of the Packard Standard Eight

The volume eight

Packard renamed its range in 1928, and the Standard Eight became the entry point to eight-cylinder motoring. It used the same straight-eight as the Custom Eight and De Luxe Eight but on shorter chassis: 127.5 in and 134.5 in in 1930, and 130 in and 137 in in 1932. That made it cheaper and easier to handle in town, and it was the version most Packard buyers actually ordered.

Prices and bodies

In 1930 a Standard Eight cost from US$2,425 to US$2,885, against US$3,190 to US$3,885 for the Custom Eight. In 1932 the range ran from US$2,250 to US$3,250, and for 1933 the base price fell to US$2,150. Packard offered thirteen body styles on the 1932 Standard Eight and fourteen in 1933, from roadster and convertible to coupé, sedan, landau, town car and limousine. The five-passenger sedan was the firm’s best-selling model for years, and it was this car, more than the custom-bodied flagships, that made Packard the best-selling luxury make in America from 1924 to 1930.

The Speedster and the Individual Custom

The Standard Eight was also the basis for the most sporting Packard of the period. The 1930 Speedster Eight, model 734, used a heavily modified Standard Eight (733) chassis with narrower and lower coachwork, and its engine came from the 740 Custom Eight with revised valves and manifolds, a Detroit Lubricator dual updraft carburettor, a vacuum booster pump and a ribbed exhaust manifold, raising output from 106 to 145 hp at 3,400 rpm. Only 113 were built, at US$5,200 to US$6,000. In 1931 Packard also introduced the Individual Custom Eight, which were longer-wheelbase versions of the Standard Eight, and period advertisements showed them with body-coloured radiator grilles where the standard cars had chrome.

The end of the line

Packard dropped its eight-cylinder cars after 1936 and brought the line back for one model year, 1938, with the One-Twenty’s 282.1 cu in engine, 120 hp at 3,800 rpm, a wheelbase 7 in longer than in 1937 and a wider body. After that the senior role passed to the Super Eight and Custom Super Eight, and the Standard Eight name was not used again.

Design and features

• Shorter chassis: 127.5 in and 134.5 in in 1930, against 140 in and 145.5 in for the De Luxe Eight.
• Lower price: US$2,425 in 1930 and US$2,150 in 1933.
• Wide body choice: thirteen body styles in 1932, fourteen in 1933.
• Speedster basis: the 145 hp Speedster Eight 734 was built on a modified Standard Eight chassis.

Packard Standard Eight versions

• Standard Eight (1928–1936): the standard short-wheelbase series.
• Individual Custom Eight (1931): a longer-wheelbase version with body-coloured grille.
• Speedster Eight 734 (1930): the 145 hp two-seat and open performance cars.
• 1938 Eight: the one-year return of the eight-cylinder line.

The Standard Eight was the cheaper sister of the Custom Eight and De Luxe Eight, and part of the Packard Eight story. More Packards are in the Packard collection.

Sources

• Packard Eight, English Wikipedia: wheelbases, prices, body counts, Speedster, Individual Custom