<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Production started early in 1932 and accordingly the Twin Six was part of the Ninth Series along with the Standard Eight and the DeLuxe Eight. Available with two chassis lengths, the new V12 Packard came with a choice of standard body-styles designed by Raymond H. Dietrich. Customers did also have the option to have their Packard bodied by a specialist coach-builder, or they could specify changes to the catalog design to create and 'Individual Custom'. The catalog bodies available on the Twin Six chassis ranged from a rakish speedster to stately limousines.
Although not quite as exotic as the sixteen cylinder engined Cadillac or Marmon V16, the new Packard Twin Six / Twelve did appeal to a broad clientele, which included Franklin Delano Roosevelt but also Hollywood celebrities. With the introduction of the Tenth Series in January of 1933, the V12 Packard was renamed the Twelve. It featured a modified and strengthened chassis to better cope with the strains of the V12 engine. Production lasted until the Seventeenth Series was phased out at the end of 1939. Each year detail changes were carried through with the most substantial the independent front suspension introduced on the Fiftheenth Series in 1936.
Throughout the 1930s, the Twelve remained the Packard flagship and although no more than 1,330 examples were ever produced in one year, the V12-engined model did help the company survive the crisis years unlike many of its former rivals. The times had nevertheless changed and Packard launched more affordable models from the mid 1930s. As a result, the Twelve was the last of the great luxury cars produced by Packard. Today they are very highly regarded, which was underlined in August of 2013 when an Individual Custom Twelve became the first Packard to win the coveted 'Best of Show' award at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in nearly forty years. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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1108 Twelve Dietrich Sport Sedan
Production started early in 1932 and accordingly the Twin Six was part of the Ninth Series along with the Standard Eight and the DeLuxe Eight. Available with two chassis lengths, the new V12 Packard came with a choice of standard body-styles designed by Raymond H. Dietrich. Customers did also have the option to have their Packard bodied by a specialist coach-builder, or they could specify changes to the catalog design to create and 'Individual Custom'. The catalog bodies available on the Twin Six chassis ranged from a rakish speedster to stately limousines.