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All the Makes: Packard to Purvis |
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PACKARD
(1899 - 1958)
Founded as the Ohio Automobile Company by brothers
James Ward and William Dowd Packard in Warren (Ohio).
Deciding not to compete at the lower mass-produced
end of the market being then dominated by Henry Ford,
the company instead concentrated on the manufacture
of more up-market cars – by way of comparison a Model T was selling
for $440, while the Packard’s had a starting price
of $2,600! Appealing to the social elite, for a time
they were the transport of choice for many US and foreign
dignitaries.
Financially rescued by a happy Packard owner
(and a wealthy one at that), one Henry Bourne Joy, the
company would move to Detroit where James would be appointed
president, and Joy General Manager (and later Chairman
of the Board). Continued to build elite vehicles for
the extremely wealthy throughout the 1920’s and
30’s, regarded as a cut above the GM Cadillac’s
of the day.
Packard rode out the depression by manufacturing
slightly less expensive cars, and while competitors Peerless,
Marmon, Ruxton, Stearns-Kinght, Pierce Arrow and the
once mighty Duesenberg would go into receivership, Packard
managed to (just) survive – many believed due to
the fact that they used a single production line.
The
continued economic decline saw Packard offer it’s
first sub $1000 car in 1935, the “Packard 120” – a
car that would become very popular and ensure the survival
of the company – if only for a time. Despite suffering
a chronic shortage of raw materials, the company beat
rivals Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler to release the
first new post war luxury-car bodystyle in 1948.
The 1950’s were known as an era of economic rationalisation,
Nash president George Mason courting Packard as a suitable
candidate for merger. Packard were reluctant to go down
that route, and Nash would turn to Hudson to form American
Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1954. The Packard directors
soon realised they too needed to merger if they were
to survive, however the number of independents was fast
dwindling.
A merger was conceived with Studebaker, which
was ratified on October 1, 1954, and formed the Studebaker-Packard
Corporation. A lack of due diligence performed by the
Packard directors would leave the company exposed, Studebaker
in more dire straits than anyone imagined. The slow demise
of the joint companies followed, the Packard name being
dropped for a time only to be re-birthed when consumers
refused to buy unbranded “Clipper’s”.
Studebaker pulled the Packard nameplate from the marketplace
in 1959 to focus instead on its compact Lark.
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PAGINI ZONDA
(1999 - present)
Italian manufacturer of high-performance supercars and
high quality carbon fibre also found in Lamborghini's.
Founded by Argentinian Horacio Pagani who, with the assistance
of Juan Manuel Fangio, managed to land a job with Lamborghini.
The Zonda is Pagani's only model, but what a car. The
awesome mid-mounted V-12 DOHC engine used in the Zonda
is manufactured exclusively for Pagani by Mercedes-Benz's
AMG division. The Zonda was inspired by jet fighters
and the famous Sauber-Mercedes Silver Arrow Group C cars.
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PANHARD
(1891 - 1967)
Founded by René Panhard and his partner Emile
Levassor, these visionary men were responsible for
the formula of design that is still used to this day;
that formula is front mounted engine, front wheel steering,
rear-wheel drive. The pair went into business to build
engines for Gottlieb Daimler in 1886, but the temptation
to build their own cars proved too great, and in 1891
they had built and sold their first iteration. Although
their cars were chain driven, by 1896 their configuration,
aptly named the "Systéme Panhard" was
being copied by nearly all other manufacturers.
Levassor,
who had been severely injured in the Paris-Marseilles
race the previous year, finally succumb to his injuries,
and so René Panhard’s son Hippolyte joined
the board, and togther father and son would oversee
an increase in production to some 336 cars by 1898,
and then more than 1000 by 1902 – these were
huge figures for the time. In 1905 the company diversified
into aero engine manufacture, however the visionary
René would pass away in 1908.
Despite a decrease
in sales, Hippolyte Panhard was able to keep the company
in the black, and by the time war was thrust upon the
world Panhard had manufactured 2100 cars. During the
war Panhard manufactured a four-wheel-drive military
vehicle, that also featured four-wheel-steering. After
the war the company embarked on a rapid expansion program,
including the bolstering of its range to include many
different body and engine combinations, along with
half-trucks, military vehicles, trucks and buses.
With
so many divisions operating within the same company,
it seemed inevitable that one would be the loser, and
it was the automobile division that suffered the most.
There were a few highlights though, such as the sleeve-valve diesel engine offered in the 1930’s, as well
as the fabulous 1937 Dynamique, which featured a syncromesh
gearbox, hydraulic brakes, independent torsion bar
suspension and faired-in wheels and headlamps, plus
(until 1939) the unusual feature of a centrally-mounted
steering wheel.
After World War 2 Panhard continued
the manufacture of armored cars, then in 1946 came
the Dynamique’s replacement, the wonderful and
innovative Dyna-Panhard, a front-wheel-drive saloon
using a light alloy body and flat-twin engine.
Suited
perfectly to the economic conditions facing Europe
as it recovered from the ravages of war, the Dyna-Panhard
was an immediate sales success, some 14,000 were manufactured
in 1948 alone. In 1954 Panhard even offered a supercharged
sports version, but competitor Citroen could see
that Panhard were ripe for the picking. In 1955 they
took a 25% stake in the company, and to make the Dyna
more competitive they ditched the alloy body in favour
of an all-steel one. In 1965 Citroen assumed complete
control, the last Panhard leaving the Ivry Paris factory
in 1967.
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PANTHER
(1972 - 1990)
Founded by Bob Jankel to manufacture replica 1930’s
style J72 and De Ville cars, perhaps in an attempt
to replicate the success of Morgan. Jankel was an
engineer who had worked for a time in the fashion
industry, and so in combining his talents in engineering
and design the resultant Panther J72 was a marvel,
it being a faithful reproduction of the 1930’s
SS100, however it being fitted with a more modern
Jaguar engine. At first these cars were built as
a hobby, but as the inevitable waiting list grew
Jankel was forced to more into more serious full-time
manufacture.
Buoyed the an ever increasing waiting
list, Jankel set about the design and manufacture
of other iterations, such as a V12 version of the
J72 in 1973, then a replica of the Bugatti Royale,
also powered by a Jaguar V12. The first volume car
was the 1976 Lima, which used a fiberglass body molded
in classic 1930’s style.
Then there was the
Rio, a re-bodied Triumph Dolomite Sprint, and even
a “Super Six”, not named because of a
six cylinder engine, but because of the use of six
wheels! It was an open two-seater, featuring two
sets of wheels at the front, all of which steered
and a rear mounted Cadillac 500.4ci 8.2 liter V8
engine. Obviously wildly optimistic, the Super Six
would never make it to production, but did have a
heavy toll financially on the company.
All hope was
then left with the ever popular Lima to save the
day, and a turbo-charged version was soon released.
But this was simply too little too late, and in the
late 1970’s the company went into receivership.
In 1980 Korean manufacturer Jindo Industries purchased
the company, dropped all but the J72 models and transferred
production to Korea. It re-launched the Lima in 1982
as the Kallista, this time it being fitted with either
a Ford 1.6 liter four or 2.8 liter V6.
Over the next
5 years Ssangyong would take a stake in the company,
until it owned some 80%. The last hurrah was
the Panther Solo and Solo-2, a mid-engined two seater
powered by a turbo-charged Ford Cosworth engine.
It was not successful, and Panther faded into obscurity.
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PEERLESS
(1957 - 1962)
Founded by Bernie Rodger with the idea of building
affordable 2+2 GT. With the financial backing of Peerless
Motors of Slough, Rodger produced an alloy prototype
which was shown at the Paris motor show in 1957. Production
proper would commence the following year, however a
multi-section fiberglass body was used instead of the
alloy version used on the prototype. Most mechanical
components were taken from the Triumph TR3, including
the front suspension, although a Laycock de Normanville
overdrive was recommended to overcome the low gearing
of the standard Triumph transmission.
These first cars
were indeed very good looking, and with the 122ci 2
liter engine also provided better than average performance,
however the strength of the body shell was to come
in for some criticism. The Phase II was to address
this problem, but money ran out, and the company closed.
Rodger tried to switch production to Ireland where
he thought the cars could be manufactured more cost
effectively, but this fell through too. Sporadic production
would continue until 1962.
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PEGASO
(1951 - 1958)
Pegaso was formed primarily to showcase the expertise
of Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones (ENSA), a truck
maker founded in Barcelona in 1946. The transition
to automobile manufacturer was instigated by the companies
technical director and chief executive Wilfredo Ricart,
who had previously worked for Alfa Romeo and had managed
to lure many highly skilled ex-Alfa and Lancia engineers
to ENSA. Ricart wanted to up-skill the ENSA workers,
keen to make them automobile artisans of world class,
and the manufacture of a sports car seemed the obvious
answer.
Unveiled at the 1951 Paris Salon, the Pegaso
was indeed beautiful, and most importantly almost every
component (excluding the Weber carburetors and licence-built
ZF gearbox) was designed and built by ENSA itself.
Power came via a quad-camshaft 152.6ci 2.5 liter V8,
which was subsequently increased in capacity to 170.9ci
(3.2 liters). The Pegaso used a De Dion rear suspension
setup and integral with the gearbox, and no less than
eight Weber carburetors were fitted to the engine.
As beautiful as the body was, it was far from svelte,
the weight negating any practical use of the car on
the racetrack.
There was however one exception, a supercharged
Pegaso briefly holding the title of the fastest production
sports car in the world, recording a speed of 151mph
(243 km/h) in 1953. When Ricart retired in 1958 much
of the passion for building the Pegasso left with him,
and ENSA returned to concentrating on what they did
best, build trucks.
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PEUGEOT
(1891 - present)
Established by the Peugeot family in the early 19th century,
then concerned with the manufacture of various industrial
products, including the bicycle. In 1890, just 4 years
after Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimlers invention of the
motor car, Armand Peugeot used Daimlers engine to manufacture
his own 4-wheel motor vehicle, based on his quadricycle.
A handful of other models were created before the establishment
of the Société des Automobiles Peugeot
in 1896, the company more simply referred to today as
Peugeot.
In 1897 Peugeot began the manufacture of their
own engine, and followed on with the invention of some
of the most important advances in automotive history,
including (together with Michelin) the pneumatic tire,
use of a steering wheel (instead of tiller) and transmission
shaft with universal joint (instead of chain).
The Grand
Prix car of 1912 was a stunning design, using a hemi-spherical
combustion chamber with cross-flow head and 4-valves
per cylinder driven by twin overhead camshafts. Peugeot
went on to create fairly mundane models between the wars,
the most successful of which was the 201, 140,000 being
manufactured between 1929 and 1936.
The company bounced
back after World War 2 with the indestructible 203, Australia
playing a part in the cars well deserved reputation following
a win in the inaugural Redex Trial. In 1965 Peugeot underwent
massive expansion, becoming Peugeot S.A. (PSA), a holding
company controlling all the group's different companies.
PSA absorbed the bankrupted Citroen in 1976 and the falling
European Chrysler-Simca in 1978.
The group replaced the
latter by resurrecting the almost forgotten marque Talbot,
which struggled on for a time until 1986. Most significant
of recent times, and responsible for the reverence afforded
the marque today, was the arrival of 205 GTI in 1983.
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PIERCE/PIERCE-ARROW
(1901 - 1938)
Founded by George Pierce who had made his millions
producing all manner or contraptions, from ice-boxes
to bird cages. During the 1880’s he saw opportunity
in the burgeoning bicycle market, and turned his attention
to cycle manufacture. It was only naturally with the
overnight success of the automobile, he would also
enter the fray. His first prototype was a steam powered
iteration, however it was the use of a single cylinder
De Dion engine that would, for a time, set the course
for success.
The De Dion powered Motorette went into
production in 1901, and several years later Pierce
was using his own engines. The 1903 Arrow model was
a distinct move into the up-market sector, a path that
so many chose to follow, and few with any great success. The Arrow proved successful in long-distance races
such as the Glidden Tour, the resultant raising of
the cars profile bolstering sales and the profile of
the company. Pierce moved the company to a new factory
and renamed the company Pierce-Arrow, and soon production
would reach the 1000 per year mark, the vast majority
being pre-sold before they even left the factory – two
were even chosen to add to the US Presidential fleet.
George Pierce died in 1910, but not before seeing his
fledgling company garner great success and prestige.
Further enhancing the up-market notions of the car,
Pierce-Arrow were soon running a chauffeur training
school, ensuring drivers were competent in handling
the 415ci 6.8 liter monsters. During the First World
War the company began the manufacture of trucks, which
proved profitable during the war years but less so
when hostilities ceased, and by 1921 the company had
posted an $8 million loss.
There was a new model released
in 1924, but at a time when styling changes were turning
modern into archaic almost overnight, the company simply
could not afford the expenditure required to allow
it to successfully compete. In 1928 the company was
taken over by Studebaker, the Pierce-Arrow’s
benefiting from the much-needed new straight-eight
133 and 143 engines. But the losses continued, and
the acquisition of Pierce-Arrow only seemed to accelerate
the demise of Studebaker.
When Studebaker collapsed
in 1933 Pierce-Arrow was bought by a group of Buffalo
businessmen, but they were only able to limp along
for a few years more – only the V12 engine survived,
it used to power fire engines right up until 1970.
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PLYMOUTH
(1928 - present)
The Big Three US car manufacturers have always had
several divisions competing at different sectors of
the market, and Plymouth has been at the low-end of
the Chrysler range. The name was the brainchild of
then Chrysler Sales Manager Joseph Frazier, he using
Plymouth Rock for his inspiration – the place
where the Pilgrim Fathers first set foot on American
soil. Much like the competition, Plymouth borrowed
heavily from the parts bin of its parent company, but
where it was different was in how advanced those parts
were.
While Ford and Chevrolet still used wooden frames
and mechanical brakes, the Plymouths used an all steel
body and hydraulic brakes. This made them a little
more expensive than the competition, but they were
undeniably a superior car in every way. It was pretty
obvious to most just how superior the Plymouth was,
and they enjoyed immediate sales success. In 1930,
at the beginning of the Great Depression, Plymouth
sold some 68,000 cars, quite a feat for a division
barely 2 years old! To keep costs down, the early Plymouth’s
used 4 cylinder engines, but unlike the competition
the engines were mounted via rubber bushes, giving
them unrivalled smoothness for a four cylinder. It
quickly assumed 3rd position on the US sales charts,
even beating parent Chrysler.
A six cylinder engine
arrived in 1933, this addition to the line-up helping
the marque go from strength to strength. In 1940, when
Walter Chrysler died, Plymouth were manufacturing a
half-million cars per year. After the war new Chrysler
chief K.T. Keller insisted on a sensible three-box
style for the new Plymouth’s, instead of the
more forward looking “streamliner” style
that was becoming increasing popular. Sales took a
dive, and continued to slide until revolutionary stylist
Virgil Exner was brought in during the 1950’s.
He brought Plymouth into the “tail-fin” era
long before the competition, and once again Plymouth
were a “style leader” rather than follower.
The heady days prior to World War 2 were never to be
revisited, but the marque was at least salvaged. Plymouth
pre-empted the move toward more compact cars in the
early 1960’s, the resultant Valiant being popular – never
more so than in Australia. In the late 1960’s
came such wonderful iterations as the Fury and Belvedere,
along with the Mustang punishing Barracuda.
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PONTIAC
(1926 - present)
Arguably the 2nd most successful GM division, behind
Chevrolet. The marque was “invented” by
GM in 1926, the name being taken from the town of Pontiac,
Michigan, where the cars were built. And as with the
rival (Chrysler) Plymouth, the Pontiac’s had
almost overnight success, some 200,000 being sold in
1929 alone. But the depression would take its toll
on many, and Pontiac was hit hard, sales in 1932 slumping
to a mere 50,000. While many of Pontiac’s sister
marques fell by the way, GM President Alfred Sloan
was determined that Pontiac should survive – but
to do so would require some serious rationalisation.
Pontiac were forced to draw heavily upon the parts
bin of Chevrolet, and then be sold under the Buick
and Oldsmobile dealer network.
With the threat of Pontiac’s
losing their identity altogether, stylist Frank Hershey
and chief body engineer Roy Milner set about ensuring
the Pontiac’s looked as different as possible
to other GM division cars – quite a feat considering
the rationalisation plan meant many body panels had
to be shared. The Pontiac Eight of 1933 was a brilliant
success, it featuring a silky smooth straight eight
engine designed by Benjamin Anibal. The reputation
of the Eight would spread, given the cars durability
and reliability, and the engine would remain the mainstay
until a new V8 arrived in 1955. By the late 1930’s
sales, and the division, were in full recovery mode.
After World War 2 Pontiac went from strength to strength,
the Star Chief and Chieftan convertibles leading the
way when American cars became long, wide and low riding. Through the 1970’s it was Japanese competition
and rising fuel prices that Pontiac were forced to
contend with, the challenge being met with a plethora
of fairly plain but easy to live with iterations such
as the Phoenix, Grand Le Mans and Grand Am. The mid
engined Fiero offered some driving excitement, and
the Firebird Trans Am remained a leading muscle car.
But it was the popular Grand Prix model that ensured
the marque would continue to enjoy it’s position
as the 3rd best selling brand in the US.
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PORSCHE
(1948 - present)
The story of Porsche dates back to long before the
establishment of the marque, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
playing pivotal roles in so many illustrious marques,
such as Volkswagen, Austro-Daimler, Steyr and even
Cistalia (the French authorities freeing him after
the war with the Italian manufacturer paid them a million
francs so that they could secure his services to design
a new Grand Prix car). But the best was always the
one that bore his name, and we think very few would
disagree. The first iterations were based largely on
the pre-war Volkswagens, being a rear engined two seater
powered by a mildly tuned 69ci 1131cc VW flat four
engine.
Production commenced I 1948, but it was when
manufacture was switched back to Porsche’s original
Stuttgart base in 1950 that things really took off.
In 1951 output was 500 cars, and by 1956 the number
had grown to 10,000. The cars were nearly always successful
in any competition they entered, even in their debut
at Le Mans – a feat they would mimic 12 times
by 1987! Ferry Porsche assumed control of the company
following the death of his father in 1952, and under
his guidance the 356 acquired bigger engines and more
power.
By the mid 1950’s exports began to the
US, were there was an almost insatiable appetite for
anything Porsche. The 356 was replaced by the 911 in
1964, arguably the most famous of and recognisable
of any sports car. The 911, along with the company,
would continue to move upmarket – and they represent
one of the most sought after and collectible classics
to this day.
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PROTON
(1983 - present)
One of the newest car manufacturers
around, the company was formed in 1983 as a joint
venture between the Malaysian government and Mitsubishi.
Through the 1980’s the company would use the
old Mitsubishi Lancer tooling to manufacture “new” Proton’s,
and despite the obviously dated looks and questionable
quality their low cost would entice distributors
to import them to various overseas markets, including
Australia.
Some much needed prestige was added when
Proton assumed control of Lotus, the first job given
to the UK based Lotus being to help improve the Proton’s
ride and dynamics. It was certainly not a job for
the faint of heart, trying to make a 10+ year old
design competitive falling, not that surprisingly,
very short of the mark. Not collectable, and certainly
not for those that enjoy driving.
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PURVIS
(1974 - 1991)
Australia came to learn of car manufacturer
Purvis Cars following the 1974 Melbourne Car Show,
when the sensational "Eureka" was displayed for the
very first time. Motor Magazine (then named "Modern
Motor") featured the Eureka on its June 1974 edition
cover, and not to be outdone Sports Car World then
headlined with "We Drove it First" for their July 1974
edition. The Eureka actually started life in the UK
in 1971, there called the Nova.
The concept then went
to the US as the Sterling and South Africa as the Eagle.
But it was Aussie Alan Purvis that came across the
Nova while on holiday in the UK in late 1971, he quickly
setting about creating distribution agreements for
Australia and New Zealand. Alan renamed the Nova as "Eureka" in
recognition of the fighting spirit demonstrated by
the miners at the Eureka Stockade, and even went as
far as adoption the Eureka flag as the companies symbol.
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