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1932-1939 Packard Twelve

1933 Packard Twelve

For the 1933 Packard Twelve, the Twin Six became the "Twelve." Turnquist observed that "The Packard's advertising agency became overly concerned with the Twin Six designation, fearing that the public would confuse the new twelve as a warmed-over 1923 Twin Six engine. It is doubtful that any such thought ever crossed the public's mind, but the Madison Avenue crowd is very persistent in devising cures for illnesses that never exist."

The 1933 Packard Twelve was extensively tested to ensure quality.
The 1933 Packard Twelve was extensively
tested to ensure quality.

Skirted clamshell fenders marked the exterior, a new dashboard the interior. The latter featured buried Carpathian elm accented by American elm, and the speedometer incorporated a tachometer, the fuel gauge an oil-level readout.

Also adopted were a new X-frame chassis and smaller 17-inch wheels. Quality remained uppermost as Packard trumpeted that each Twelve was tested for 250 miles at its Utica, Michigan, proving grounds, under the supervision of Tommy Milton himself.

In fact, before the road test each engine was run for an hour by an electric motor and six hours under its own power before being installed. It was then run for more than an hour on a dynamometer. Incidentally, during 1933 the Twelve introduced bearings with replaceable steel-back liners, precursors of an industry-wide trend.

Continue to follow the story of the Packard Twelve on the next page, where you'll find the developments of the 1934-1937 Packard Twelve.

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