Packard does not build many cars like the Packard One-Twenty: a 2-door coupé / 2-door convertible / 2-door Sedan (automobile) / sedan (1935 only) / 4-door Sedan (automobile) / sedan / 4-door Station wagon (1937 only) with 257 cuin Straight-eight engine, made in small numbers.
The background
The Packard Twelfth Series One-Twenty is an automobile produced by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, from 1935 to 1937 and from 1939 through the 1941 model years. The One-Twenty model designation was derived from the wheelbase, and it was replaced by the Packard 200. The One-Twenty signified the first time that Packard had entered into the highly competitive mid-priced eight-cylinder car market. Packard enthusiasts view the production of the One-Twenty and the Six/One-Ten models as the start of Packard's losing its hold on the market as the premier American luxury automotive brand. It was a marketing strategy shared with GM's LaSalle, the Chrysler Airstream, and the Lincoln-Zephyr.
It was introduced after Rolls-Royce brought to market the Rolls-Royce Twenty, which was manufactured between 1922 and 1929 (succeeded by the Rolls-Royce 20/25 which was built until 1936). The introduction of the One-Twenty (and later the Six/One-Ten models) was a necessary move to keep Packard in business during the final years of the Great Depression, expanding on an earlier approach with the Packard Light Eight. Branding the One-Twenty a Packard afforded buyers the cachet of owning a Packard. Other reasons the company decided to forgo the development of a companion brand name to sell the less expensive models may have been linked to its single production line capability at its Grand Boulevard manufacturing plant or to the expense of launching a new brand of automobile. It also ushered in a novel advertising approach, commissioning an advertising "jingle" called "When Heaven Wa
The engineering
Under the skin sits 257 cuin Straight-eight engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 3688 lb. The gearbox is a 3-speed manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 120 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Packard's history is not in doubt: the Packard Light Eight came before it; the Packard 200 followed it; it was built at Packard Automotive Plant, Detroit, Michigan, United States. Its Packard stablemates include the Packard 160 and the Packard 180.