Expert: Dick Benjamin - 5/23/2006

Question
THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING, WE HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING PACKARDS AND HUDSONS.  ARE PACKARDS AND HUDSONS ALSO THE BEST IN YOUR OPINION FOR THE LATE 20'S AND 30'S AS WELL?  HOW ABOUT A 1927 ESSEX SPEEDABOUT? OR THE ESSEX TERRAPLANE?

Answer
Yes, Packards and Hudsons (including Essex) were well engineered cars then too, although cars were much simpler in the 20s and early 30s, so there is generally less to go wrong, and they are easier to fix when something does go wrong.  One caution I would have about those earlier cars is that the engine bearings are poured babbit - which do burn out under hard use, and when that happens it disables the car for a long time.
 
If you chose one of those earlier cars, I'd have a machinist convert it to modern insert bearings and full pressure lubrication.  I believe that is permitted under the Great Race rules, but double check me on that to be sure.  Also, if the car does not have a mechanical fuel pump, that is another weak point.  You can always add an auxuilliary electric fuel pump, which is a good idea in any case, but you should also check the rules on that - it may not be permitted.

The Essex and Terraplane cars were built to appeal to the performance and sport oriented drivers - I feel the Packards were more intended for long, hard, troublefree use.   In a durability and reliablilty contest, I think the Packard wins over the Essex.

If it were me, I'd pick a 1940 Packard 160 or 180, have it carefully refurbished by an expert Packard mechanic, and then take it on a few shakedown runs before starting in the race.  I can recommend a person to do this, but I'd rather not do that in this forum, and I don't know how available this person is anyway. Post a follow up question for me if you want to talk directly, include your e-mail address and I'll get right back to you.

Dick