This Packard Six was the last Packard ever sold under the word "model" — after it, Packard switched to the series-based naming it used for the rest of its history.
Lead trim: Six 38 415 cu in L-head (6,801 cc)
Packard Six1912–1915
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Packard Six yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis Packard Six was the last Packard ever sold under the word "model" — after it, Packard switched to the series-based naming it used for the rest of its history.
The Packard Six was the first top-level luxury platform built by the company to introduce a six-cylinder engine, offered in three wheelbases (121.5, 133 and 139 in) and the last Packard to use the term "model" in its designation; officially the Packard Six Series 1-48, it was variously marketed as the Dominant Six, Six-48, 1248 or simply 48. The "48" designation went with 525 cu in (8,603 cc) T-head engines (62–74 bhp, RAC rating 48 HP) and the Series 1-38 or "38" with 415 cu in (6,801 cc) L-head engines (60–65 bhp) with a different valve configuration; the transmission had three forward gears and sat at the rear axle. It was replaced in 1916 by the Packard Twin Six; an Imperial Landaulet 7-passenger sedan cost US$6,550. The 48 series ran 1912 to 1915 and the 38 from 1913.
Collectors Spotted in the Packard Six Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Packard Six yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Six 38 415 cu in L-head (6,801 cc) | 1913–1915 | 6.8 L | 60 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Six 48 525 cu in T-head (8,603 cc) | 1912–1915 | 8.6 L | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Packard's Six badge once meant top-tier luxury — by the 115-C it had been repositioned as an affordable family car, going up against the Oldsmobile L-Series and DeSoto's sixes.
Once Packard's new straight-eight arrived in 1924, the once-flagship Six got bumped down market — repositioned to compete with the Buick Master Six and, later, the Chrysler Six.
This Packard Six was the last Packard ever sold under the word "model" — after it, Packard switched to the series-based naming it used for the rest of its history.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
Fred Duesenberg, the engineer behind the Model J, died of pneumonia from injuries suffered crashing one of his own cars — a Murphy-bodied SJ convertible.
Duesenberg's slogan for the supercharged SJ was that the only car that could pass one was another Duesenberg - and only with the first owner's consent.
Only two SSJs were built — one for Gary Cooper, one lent to Clark Gable — and the two movie stars used to race each other through the Hollywood Hills in them.
The 1916 Type 53 quietly invented the modern car's cockpit: center-mounted gear lever and handbrake, key-start ignition, and the clutch-brake-throttle pedal order every car still uses today.
Packard's first four-cylinder car, the 1903 Model K, was so exclusive that only 34 were built — at $7,300 apiece, it's still the most expensive Packard the company ever made.
Studebaker charged extra for four-wheel hydraulic brakes on the 1926 Special Six, leaving disc wheels and stopping power both as options.
This Duesenberg beat every other production car to the punch: it was the first to put hydraulic brakes on all four wheels, years before the rest of the industry caught up.
Once Packard's new straight-eight arrived in 1924, the once-flagship Six got bumped down market — repositioned to compete with the Buick Master Six and, later, the Chrysler Six.