1928 Packard Jesse Vincent Speedster

Jesse Gurney Vincent joined Packard on July 29, 1912, and served as head of engineering until his retirement in 1946. A State of Michigan marker immortalized him as 'America's Master Motor Builder,' and he was instrumental in establishing the Packard Proving Grounds, the first facility for testing automobile and engine performance in the U.S. He is one of the earliest members of the Society of Automotive Engineers and was subsequently elected by it to the Automotive Hall of Fame.

During World War I, he was commissioned as a major in the United States Army Signal Corps. His significant contribution to the war effort was the Liberty V-12 aircraft engine, built in collaboration with Elbert J. Hall of the Hall-Scott Motor Company.

In 1927, Vincent was given permission to construct a special speedster to take full advantage of the 2.5-mile banked oval at the newly-constructed Proving Grounds. It was clocked in excess of 129 mph on the oval track. Charles Lindberg drove the car at 112 mph in 1929, stating it was the fastest he had ever gone '...on the ground.'

The Speedster was a rolling testbed built using the lightest single-six chassis with the company's largest straight-eight engine. It wore a special lightweight and aerodynamic aluminum body, with a tapered rear end and disc wheels. It was sans fenders, bumpers, windshield, and lights.

In 1929, the Speedster was modified using the new style 7th series bonnet and radiator shell. The latter featured a cloisonne emblem bearing the Packard family crest and a new style radiator cap. The radiator shutters were thermostatically controlled.

Note: the Speedster shown is a recreation.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2024