Packard One-Twenty History

The Packard One-Twenty (often written '120') arrived for 1935 as Packard's bold move into the mid-priced field, offering genuine Packard quality at roughly a third the cost of its senior cars. Named for its 120-inch wheelbase, it used a modern 257- then 282-cubic-inch straight-eight and brought independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes to the marque.

It was a runaway success, multiplying Packard's volume and, alongside the even cheaper Six/One-Ten, keeping the company solvent through the final Depression years; peak production reached over 55,000 cars in 1936. Purists have long argued it cheapened the Packard name, but without it the marque might not have survived the 1930s. Some 175,000 One-Twenties were built across 1935–1937 and 1939–1941 (the 1938 cars were badged 'Eight').