1939 One Twenty 1292 Touring Sedan

Car information

1939 Packard Eight – “Fleurette”.

The Packard motto is “Ask the man who owns one”. I am pleased to tell you what I know. The previous owner had the car from 1986 to 2018 and had extensive restoration and reconditioning work carried out during his 30 year ownership. He named her “Fleurette” and there is no intention to rename her. She is a pleasure to be with on the open road but not so much fun in a crowded car park.

That a car such as this should end up with a name like “Fleurette” may seem strange to some. At more than 16 feet 4 inches long (4.98 metres for a metricated Frenchie) and with a wheel base of 122 inches (almost 3 metres) this car is hardly a little flower but can still comfortably be described as a long legged red head and therefore, why not “Fleurette”

Details of the original ownership and history pre 1986 are unknown. The restoration and reconditioning work has been carried out with a view to retaining the originality of the vehicle but the fitment of non-original things such as unobtrusive turn indicators and electric fuel pump have been done to improve the functioning of the car and deal with other changes such as those in petrol specifications which the last 80 years have produced. She has been a regular participant in Packard Club events in Australia.

The 1939 Packard 120 was identified by the manufacturer as the 17th series. It replaced the 1938 Packard Eight. According to the Packard Motor Company she is a Packard Eight, number 1292-9394 which is nothing like as pretty a name as the one allocated to her. She was made in Detroit Michigan and rolled off the production line some time in early 1939. The identification plate shows her to have been distributed by Ira L and AC Berk of Sydney 23.6.1939.

With a bore of 3.5 inches and a stroke of 4.5 inches, the engine is an eight cylinder “flat head” side valve engine of 245 cubic inches (about 4,000 ccs) displacement producing between 100 and 103 horsepower. The compression ratio varied ex factory according to the type of head and head gasket fitted but ranged from 6.39:1 to 6.85:1. It is necessary to use upper cylinder lubricant with unleaded fuel. The fuel tank holds 13.5 gallons (about 60 Litres). This girl likes a drink but can become a bit light headed in hot weather when vaporized fuel sometimes doesn’t get into her head.

The gear box is a three speed with 23% overdrive which operates on all three gears. Overdrive on other than third gear is somewhat academic as the engine produces sufficient torque that gear changes are seldom called for. As cars went in 1939 she was a fairly fast mover and was capable of maintaining that speed over long periods of time.

Packard as a manufacturer was responsible for numerous innovations in the automobile industry. A couple of the not so normal fitments to this car are the heater (but not including air conditioning) and a push button radio which is believed to be one of the first of this type manufactured. The radio aerial, conspicuous by its absence was concealed under the running boards.