Series

Series

Welcome to Packard’s unique-identifying system known as “Series” which dispensed with the car-industry standard of Model Years (see tables). However, before it was introduced in 1916, there were two preceding systems: (1) from 1899 to 1912, Packard used alphabetic model letters (A, B, C etc to NE) and (2) horsepower‑based designations of 1-48 to 5-48 from 1912 to 1915 for five different versions of its Six (Yes, that’s 48hp).  This all changed in 1916 when the Series was introduced and organised around significant mechanical and engineering changes to chassis, wheelbase and body design. This allowed Packard to offer multiple body styles, wheelbases and engines within a Series rather than a production year.

A Series could last:

• Less than a year
• More than a year with no visible changes

This meant:

• A single Series could be built across more than one calendar year
• Two cars from the same year could belong to different Series

While confusing to some but insider knowledge to others, this allowed Packard to identify similar-powered cars across all Series. For example, the 1939 17th Series offered four engines: Six (1700), Standard Eight (1701-1702), Super Eight, (1703-1705) and V12 (1707-1708). The higher the number, the bigger the powerplant, which immediately informed the public whether it was a Senior or Junior (see Senior & Junior entry).

Originally, Series numbers increased sequentially – First Series, Second Series, Third Series etc but there was no 13th series as that was consider bad luck. However, as some Series lasted longer than a year, by the early 1950s the numbering had fallen well behind the calendar. A 1953 Packard, for example, was still part of the 26th Series. To eliminate confusion, Packard made a deliberate correction:

• 1954 became the 54th Series
• 1955 became the 55th Series
• 1956 became the 56th Series

This one‑time jump aligned Series numbers with calendar years and marked the end of Packard’s original Series philosophy.

Beware the Clipper

The term Clipper is used as a marketing/model name rather than Series. Introduced as part of the 19th Series in 1941, the Clipper was a breakthrough design  that was hugely important to Packard’s survival. As the name carried prestige, Packard reused the Clipper name several times between 1941 and 1957, but each time it applied to a different engineering generation. That’s why a 1941 Clipper, a 1947 Clipper and a 1955 Clipper can look and feel like unrelated cars – because they are! When in doubt about which Clipper you’re looking at, locate the Vehicle Number (VN) number on the cowl plate.