Hemmings Classic Car – October 2019

1955 PACKARD FOUR HUNDRED

ILLUSTRATIONS BY RUSSELL VON SAUERS,

THE GRAPHIC AUTOMOBILE STUDIO © 2019 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR

PRICE

BASEPRICE $4,080

OPTIONS Radio;heater;powersteering;

powerbrakes;airconditioning;

wirewheels;275-hpCaribbeanV-8

ENGINE

TYPE OHVV-8;cast-ironblockand

cylinderheads

DISPLACEMENT 352-cu.in.

BOREXSTROKE 4 x3.5in

COMPRESSIONRATIO 8.5:1

HORSEPOWER@RPM 275 @4,800

TORQUE@RPM 355 lb-ft@2,400-3,200

VALVETRAIN Hydrauliclifters

MAINBEARINGS 5

FUELSYSTEM DualRochester4GCfour-barrel

carburetors

LUBRICATIONSYSTEM Full-pressure,gear-drivenpump

ELECTRICALSYSTEM 12-volt,positiveground

EXHAUSTSYSTEM Dual,2-inwithcast-ironmanifolds

TRANSMISSION

TYPE Twin-Ultramaticautomatic

RATIOS 1st 1.82:1

2nd 1:1

Reverse 1.63:1

DIFFERENTIAL

TYPE Packardhypoid,semi-floating

GEARRATIO 3.07:1

STEERING

TYPE Packard-Gemmerworm-and-roller,

powerassist

RATIOOVERALL 22.5:1

TURNINGCIRCLE 21.5ft

BRAKES

TYPE Four-wheelhydraulicdrums

FRONT 12 x2.25in

REAR 12 x 2 in

CHASSIS&BODY

CONSTRUCTION Allsteel

BODYSTYLE Hardtop

LAYOUT Frontengine/rear-wheeldrive

60 inches 127 inches

SUSPENSION

FRONT/REAR Full-length torsion-bars with automatic

electric load compensator control and

direct-acting shock absorbers

WHEELS & TIRES

WHEELS Chrome wire

FRONT/REAR 15 x 6 in

TIRES Bias-ply

FRONT/REAR 8.20-15

WEIGHTS & MEASURES

WHEELBASE 127 in

OVERALL LENGTH 218.5 in

OVERALL WIDTH 78 in

OVERALL HEIGHT 62 in

FRONT TRACK 60 in

REAR TRACK 61 in

CURB WEIGHT 4,250 lb

CAPACITIES

CRANKCASE 5 qt

FUEL TANK 20 gal

TRANSMISSION 11 qt

DIFFERENTIAL 4.25 pt

CALCULATED DATA

BHP PER CU.IN. 0.78125

CURB WEIGHT PER BHP 15.45 lb

CURB WEIGHT PER CU.IN. 12.07 lb

PRODUCTION

1955 7,206

PROS & CONS

+ Beautiful styling

+ Comfortable ride

and handling

+ Dual-quad power for

extra zip

• Rarity


• Limited interest


• Continually explaining
  what a Packard was

CLUB CORNER

PACKARD MOTOR CAR

INFORMATION

packardinfo.com

Dues: Free

(donations accepted)

PACKARDS INTERNATIONAL

MOTOR CAR CLUB

302 French Street

Santa Ana, California 92701

714-541-8431

packardsinternational.com

Dues: $55

WHAT TO PAY

LOW

$7,025

AVERAGE

$17,200

HIGH

$28,200

SPECIFICATIONS

Hemmings.com I OCTOBER 2019 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR 33