In the Garage: 1940 Packard 110
THE CAR AND ITS OWNER
1940 Packard 110 Club Coupe owned by Wayne Hedlund
WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING
Despite stiff competition from Cadillac and effects of the Great Depression, Packard in 1940 was still known as an ultra-luxury brand, renowned for its build quality, engineering innovations and twelve- and eight-cylinder engines. Even in the troubled 1930s, these big cars could cost anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000 or more at a time when average annual wages were around $1,800 and a typical house was $4,000.
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In 1937, the company sought to expand its customer base by launching the “Packard Six,” a lower-priced, six-cylinder model designed to compete with the likes of Buick or Cadillac’s down-market LaSalle. As one expert put it, “The new Packard sold like the popular radio program of that era. It was ‘Gangbusters.’” By the time Packard had built Hedlund’s Club Coupe, the model was renamed the 110. “There were about 7,000 produced,” he says, “but they are quite rare today. The cost was $975 new. It is equipped with a radio and deluxe heater.”
