1941 Packard Limousine Sedan, Model 160, 4-door
Owners: Bernie and Janice Taulborg Collection
Original cost: $2,289.00 (In 1941: average car cost $850; average household income: $1,750; average house cost $4,075; gallon of gas cost 12 cents)
Previous owner(s): Owner in Florida, 1999; Bernie Taulborg 2002 – 2011
Number made: 3,525
Engine, etc.: Super 8, Model 1905; 356 cu. in., 160 hp; 4,570 lbs.; 148 in. wheelbase
Engineering changes were minimal this year but the look was different throughout the Packard line. Cars appeared longer (they were, by five inches) but the wheelbase remained the same. Radiators were more forward and headlamps were inset into the fenders with parking lamps mounted above them.
Two-tone paint jobs were available if desired but running boards were out. Instead, a black rubber gravel shield was used on the rear fender of One-Sixty closed cars (convertibles had chrome shields).
The 160 and 180 models were the “Senior Packards”. Mechanically the 160 shared much of its design with the more upscale 180. They shared a chassis design, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, selective synchromesh three-speed transmission, and a 160 horsepower straight eight-cylinder engine with hydraulic valve lifters.
Packard added luxurious interior appointments, unique hood louver trim, and enameled hubcap emblems. Early 1940 Packard innovations included sealed beam headlights, fender mounted parking lamps, and the ability to now be “Cooled by Refrigeration”.
The Packard Motor Company, the leading luxury automobile manufacturer of the world, produced world renowned vehicles from 1899 to 1956.
The Packard story began with Warren Packard who moved to Warren, Conn. in the 1850’s and became involved in a number of businesses including hardware, lumber, hotels, and iron mill work.
His sons, William Doud and James Ward, established the Packard Electric Company in 1890 and the town of Warren entered the “age of electricity”. Due to the success of the Packard Co., Warren became the first city in the U. S. to light its streets with incandescent bulbs.
The first Packard Motor Car was built in Warren in 1899 in the Packard Electric Company subsidiary plant, the New York and Ohio Company. Manufacture of a successful motor car brought about the formation of the Ohio Automobile Company in 1899 which was renamed Packard Motor Car Company and moved to Detroit in 1902.
Henry Bourne Joy from one of Detroit’s oldest and wealthiest families bought a Packard. Impressed by its reliability, he enlisted a group of investors and bought the company. Henry Joy became general manager and later chairman of the board. Alvan Macauley became president of Packard Motor Car Company in 1916 when Henry Joy retired. Macauley remained in that position until 1938.
Sources: Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805 -1942. Beverly Rae Kimes, et al. 3rd ed. Krause Publications,1996.
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10535/Packard-Super-8-160.aspx
http://www.packardinfo.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard
http://uniquecarsandparts.com/lost_marques_packard.htm (History)
See also: http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Packard/1941_Packard/1941_Packard_Owners_Manual/dirindex.html (Original owner’s manual, 110 Special, 110 Deluxe, and 120 [Model 1901])
