Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 66 ¤
1920 Packard Twin Six 3-35 Limousine Chassis no. 160141 Engine no. 160141
Sold for US$45,920 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 66¤
Ex-J.B. "Jack" Nethercutt
1920 Packard Twin Six 3-35 Limousine
1920 Packard Twin Six 3-35 Limousine
1920 Packard Twin Six 3-35 Limousine
Chassis no. 160141
Engine no. 160141
Chassis no. 160141
Engine no. 160141
424.1ci L-Head 60° V-12
Single Updraft Packard Carburetor with "Fuelizer"
95bhp at 2,000rpm
Three-Speed Manual Transmission
Live Axles with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs, Westinghouse Spring Shackle Dampers
Rear Wheel Contracting Band/Expanding Shoe Drum Brakes
* Formerly owned by J.B. "Jack" Nethercutt
* Largely original but sound and complete
* A sumptuous, commodious town car
* Largely original, preserved and inviting restoration
THE PACKARD TWIN SIX 3-35
Packard's reputation as one of America's premiere luxury cars was well-established based on a history of sophisticated T-head fours and from 1912 a series of T- and L-head sixes.
The arrival of Vee engines was not lost on Packard and in 1916 the company debuted its magnificent V-12, just a year after Cadillac and others began to produce V-8s. With 424 cubic inches and some 88 brake horsepower, The Packard Twin Six set the standard in smooth power delivery and horsepower, besting the sixes and V-8s of its main competitors at Peerless, Pierce-Arrow and Cadillac.
In 1920 Packard addressed the fuel vaporization problem that plagued large, slow turning engines by creating something they called the "Fuelizer", a separate chamber that burned a small amount of fuel then fed the burned and heated mixture into the carburetor to mix with the atmospheric fuel/air mixture to promote vaporization. Other engines achieved a similar result by running warm water through an intake manifold jacket, an expedient solution that didn't do anything when the engine was cold-started and then robbed volumetric efficiency when it heated up. The "Fuelizer" functioned immediately upon startup and then turned off when the engine reached operating speeds and temperature. It was the kind of elegant, insightful, practical engineering that brought Packard respect from both the market and the engineering community.
Packard would build the Twin Six only until 1923 before determining, particularly in the post WWI recession, that it was too expensive to build and sell at a profitable price.
THE CAR OFFERED
This 1920 Packard Twin Six is one of only 5,193 Twin Sixes built in calendar 1920 before the luxury market was hammered by the post WWI recession. Originally called a 3-35 model (third series, 135" wheelbase), the model designation was abandoned by Packard: All Twin Sixes were now on the long wheelbase chassis. Its tall, erect coachwork is by design for its limousine use where "sleek" was not a valued attribute. Comfort and headroom for men's tall hats and ladies' elaborate millinery was paramount and this limousine body provided both in abundance.
The front compartment has a fixed roof over the driver and attendant with a crank-up glass division protecting the rear compartment. There is a speaking tube that terminates in a trumpet just over the driver's left ear to communicate driving instructions. The rear compartment has jump seats and the usual luxurious accoutrements. The finish is conservative black with black leather upholstery in the driver's compartment and Green cloth in the rear. It rides on four cream painted and striped wood spoke wheels, has a rear-mounted spare and Liberty Lens combination headlights. The semi-elliptical leaf springs' action is ameliorated by a set of four Westinghouse air balanced spring shackle dampers.
Harrah's acquired this Twin Six from J.B. (Jack) Nethercutt in 1970 in a trade for a 1931 Stutz DV-32 Salon Sedan that is still part of the famed Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, California. It has preservation quality old paint and a solid body and doors. The driver's seat has been reupholstered in durable leather but the rear compartment upholstery is original, rough and somewhat incomplete. The engine compartment is aged but appears to be complete and usable after comprehensive recommissioning.
It is a statement of luxury, quality and performance from the beginning of the Twenties, a Gilded Age relic that deserves respect and preservation.
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