- 1,091
- United States
Poll 1403: 1916-1923 Packard Twin-Six nominated by @Volksauto
Body Style: 2-door roadster, 4-door touring, 4-door sedan, limousine, town-car, landaulet
Engine: 424 cu in (7.0 L) V12
Power: 85-90 HP
Weight: 4,150 lb (1,882 kg)
Transmission: 3-speed selective sliding gear manual
Drive train: front engine, rear-wheel drive
Body Style: 2-door roadster, 4-door touring, 4-door sedan, limousine, town-car, landaulet
Engine: 424 cu in (7.0 L) V12
Power: 85-90 HP
Weight: 4,150 lb (1,882 kg)
Transmission: 3-speed selective sliding gear manual
Drive train: front engine, rear-wheel drive
Cadillac introduced their V8 engine in the Type 51 in 1914. Cadillac was soon one-upped by their biggest rival Packard who released the first V12 production car. Packard called the new model the Twin Six which was released in May of 1915 and was available in two wheelbase sizes.
In three series between 1916 and 1923, Packard built slightly more than 35,000 Twins, including numerous chassis for custom bodies. Packard managed to crush competition from makes like Peerless and Pierce-Arrow. The Twin Six was the chief reason why, when the wealthy ordered a custom-bodied car, they tended to choose a Packard chassis.
Jesse Vincent, Packard's chief engineer, liked the 12-cylinder layout for three reasons: performance, smoothness, and silence. "A six-cylinder motor is theoretically in absolutely perfect balance," he wrote. "This is because the vibratory forces due to the rise and fall of one piston are neutralized by equal and opposite forces due to another...Now it is only possible to cancel out forces in this way if they are tied together strongly."
This meant a heavy crankcase and crankshaft and a rigid flywheel. But a Twelve or "Twin Six," Vincent continued, would provide the same rigidity and smoothness with less piston, crankcase, flywheel, and crankshaft weight -- and provide more horsepower and torque, to boot. He preferred a V-12 to a V-8 because a V-8 would require a wider frame, larger turning radius, and more complicated steering gear.
The smoothness and torque of Packard's V12 engines was inspiration for Enzo Ferrari's own creations.
In three series between 1916 and 1923, Packard built slightly more than 35,000 Twins, including numerous chassis for custom bodies. Packard managed to crush competition from makes like Peerless and Pierce-Arrow. The Twin Six was the chief reason why, when the wealthy ordered a custom-bodied car, they tended to choose a Packard chassis.
Jesse Vincent, Packard's chief engineer, liked the 12-cylinder layout for three reasons: performance, smoothness, and silence. "A six-cylinder motor is theoretically in absolutely perfect balance," he wrote. "This is because the vibratory forces due to the rise and fall of one piston are neutralized by equal and opposite forces due to another...Now it is only possible to cancel out forces in this way if they are tied together strongly."
This meant a heavy crankcase and crankshaft and a rigid flywheel. But a Twelve or "Twin Six," Vincent continued, would provide the same rigidity and smoothness with less piston, crankcase, flywheel, and crankshaft weight -- and provide more horsepower and torque, to boot. He preferred a V-12 to a V-8 because a V-8 would require a wider frame, larger turning radius, and more complicated steering gear.
The smoothness and torque of Packard's V12 engines was inspiration for Enzo Ferrari's own creations.
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