1939 Packard Twelve Formal Sedan

Packard, like most producers of luxury goods, was hit hard by the Great Depression that started in 1929. They only managed to sell something like 15,000 cars of all models in '33 and '34. As the economy rebounded, however, so did Packard sales and soon enough they were back into the horsepower war with rivals Cadillac and Lincoln.

Packard had introduced the V12-powered Twin Six back in the 'Teens, but renamed it the Packard Twelve for 1933, aiming it right at the Cadillac V-16 and the V12-powered Lincoln K-series. The '33 Packard Twelve boasted a 446 cubic inch flathead V12 rated at 160 SAE gross horsepower.

By 1939, the Packard Twelve's powerplant had swollen to 473 cubic inches. Fed with a single Stromberg carb, it put out 175 horsepower, easily outmuscling the 150-horse 414 cubic inch Lincoln V12 and nearly equaling the mighty 7.1L Cadillac V16's 185 horsepower.

For 1939, the 17th Series Packard Twelves could be had in one of two basic flavors: the 1707 on a 134.4" wheelbase, or the 1708 on a longer 139.4" one. The 1707 could be had in eight different flavors ranging from a convertible coupe to a touring sedan. The one in the photos is one of thirty Model 1707 Formal Sedans built for 1939. 

Weighing 5,745 pounds, as a formal sedan it had seating for five, with three in the back and two up front (separated by a glass divider from the rear), plus a jump seat that folded down from the rear of the front seat for any friends you might run into at the opera who wanted to accompany you to the club afterward.

Price for this coachbuilt beauty at the time would have been $4,865, which comes to something like $110,000 in current-year money. A little bit of internet sleuthing shows that this particular 1939 Packard Twelve Formal Sedan once belonged to American Formula One champ Phil Hill.

It was photographed in June of 2023, using a Nikon D700 and 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G zoom lens.