Description

By 1940, most luxury automakers realized that the days of massive engines hauling equally massive bodywork were drawing to a close. Packard dropped the V12 in favor of an all-new straight-8 that neatly bisected the line between the 320 cubic inch and 385 cubic inch straight-8s that they employed throughout the ‘30s. At 356 cubic inches, it would carry Packard into the next decade, and for many Packard enthusiasts, it is perhaps Packard’s finest engine; smooth, torquey, and utterly reliable. The 1941 Packards were the first to move the headlights into the fenders, giving the cars a striking, modern look that was suddenly the height of fashion, and in the senior 160 and 180 Series, the cars were large, impressive, worthy additions to the Packard legacy.