With sales still plummeting from 55,000 in 1928 to 28,000 in 1930 Packard had little option but to keep going after the dwindling high end market it knew it catered to well in 1931.

The Eighth Series Packards were offered on the same centrally lubricated chassis as the 1930 Seventh Series.

By using larger intake and exhaust valves with a three-piece manifold that featured a cylindrical heater chamber to preheat the mixture Packard engineers managed to get 15hp power more from the 384.8 cui / 6.3 litre straight eight making 120hp in total.

The 1931 840 Rumble Seat Roadster would be the last to be supplied without door window’s and therefore the last true Packard roadster to be built.

Just 626 840 DeLuxe Rumble Seat Roadsters would be built before the introduction of the Ninth Series in June 1931.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photographs taken at San Marino Motor Classic, a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “Last True Packard Roadster” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !