Sunday 29th September 1929

The Packard 734 Speedster Eight was introduced. Intended as Packard’s driver’s car, the 734 Speedster was a powerful, robust car that outperformed is luxurious counterparts in the Packard range. It’s Speedster name was not descriptive of the body type, but more the high performance nature of the chassis. Five factory bodies were offered on the 734 Speedster. Runabout with a rumble seat, Boattail Runabout or Phaeton were offered for $5,200. The
Victoria and Sedan bodies cost $6,000. A redesigned chassis was used for the 734 that used many 6th-series components with custom side rails. It retained the Super Eights wheelbase of 134.5 inches but was more rigid. The nine-main bearing engine was modified with a ribbed exhaust manifold, vacuum boost pump and a new 45 degree intake that allowed for a hemispherical combustion chamber. An optional 6.0:1 cylinder head used larger valves to produce 145 bhp @ 3400 rpm. Because Packard didn’t actively promote the model, only 113 cars were made across all body styles.