Packard Auto Plant, Detroit

Packard Automotive Plant, Detroit MI

In 1903, the Packard Plant was the future of car making. Its halls saw 50 years of luxury cars, World War 2 engines, and Detroit pride.

Now it sits as the largest empty factory in the city. Here’s the story of America’s most famous abandoned auto plant.

James Packard Built Cars After His Own Broke Down

The whole Packard story started because of a lemon. In 1898, James Ward Packard bought a Winton car that kept breaking down.

After too many repair trips, the Winton owner grew frustrated with the complaints and told him to just make his own car if he thought he could do better.

They built their first car on November 6, 1899, in Warren, Ohio, initially calling their company the Ohio Auto Company.

Brothers Kahn Changed Factory Design Forever

The Packard plant revolutionized car factories. In 1903, Albert Kahn and his brother Julius introduced something new with Building #10.

The first nine buildings used wood and were pretty dark fire traps, but then they came up with a clever way to put steel bars in concrete.

This design allowed for large, open spaces with plenty of windows. Their innovative approach became the blueprint for car factories worldwide.

Thousands Worked With 80 Different Trades Daily

At its peak, over 30,000 skilled workers from 80 trades worked daily at the factory. The plant covered 40 acres with 3.5 million square feet of space on Detroit’s east side.

Most workers spent their entire careers at the plant which had food spots offering affordable meals. Some areas had live music during lunch in the 1930s and 40s.

Plant Made 1.6 Million Cars During Its Run

By 1908, when they added truck manufacturing, the plant had expanded six times its original size, covering 14 acres during its run.

Packard’s best year came in 1937, with 109,518 cars produced.

In 1946, they built their one millionth car, a dark blue Custom Super Clipper. During the 1920s, the plant could complete one car every ten minutes at full capacity.

Packard Cars Used Steering Wheels Before Others

Packard were the first to use steering wheels and they also put the first air cooling in cars and made one of the first 12-cylinder motors.

They built the first car with power brakes in 1915, introduced the first one-piece curved windshield in 1940, and one with a standard radio in 1937.

Factory Built War Engines That Beat Nazi Planes

When World War II broke out, Packard made over 55,000 Merlin V-12 plane engines under contract with Rolls-Royce, which powered the P-51 Mustang fighter planes.

They also built marine engines for PT boats, the fast attack craft used by the Navy. The plant ran 24 hours every day during the war.

Many women worked at Packard for the first time, helping build motors while men fought overseas. In 1944, their war sales hit $455 million.

Big Shots Drove These Cars For Luxury

In the early 1900s, Packard stood toe-to-toe with Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce. Each car had hand-made wood trim and leather seats that took weeks to finish.

By 1931, even Japan’s royal family owned ten of them. The Twin Six (1915-1923) and Packard Twelve became the go-to rides for the elite.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt had a special open-top Packard for White House use, while the Sultan of Johor owned six gold-trimmed custom pieces.

Packard joined Pierce-Arrow and Peerless as one of the “Three Ps” of top American car brands. Movie stars like Clark Gable drove them, as did Al Capone.

De Palma Raced A Twin Six At 73 MPH

Packards weren’t just pretty, they were fast too.

In 1915, race driver Ralph De Palma took a Twin Six touring car around Chicago Speedway at nearly 73 mph, which was crazy fast back then.

In 1927, a Packard-powered Higman Special reached 171 mph at Brooklands track in England. They also sent three race cars to the 1923 Indy 500.

Grand Boulevard Bridge Moved Cars Between Buildings

Packard got clever in the 1930s when they added a multi-story assembly line, and in 1939, built a bridge across Grand Boulevard.

This system allowed car bodies to move from one building to the main plant, where they met their chassis. Smart lifts were used to transfer parts between floors.

The bridge was lit up at night with neon signs until the 1940s. Sadly, after years of neglect, this iconic structure fell down in 2019.

Packard Merger With Studebaker Failed Badly

In 1954, Packard tried to save itself by buying Studebaker, but it backfired. Sales plummeted, and the last Detroit Packard rolled off the line in 1956.

Instead of helping Packard compete with the Big Three (GM, Ford, Chrysler), the merger never turned a profit, and the East Grand Boulevard plant had to close.

Post-War Market Switch Killed Luxury Brand

The world changed after World War II, and Packard couldn’t keep up with middle-class demands and wallet-friendly prices.

Their high costs of labor made it hard to compete with the big guys. By 1956, it was over for the Detroit plant after 53 years of making cars there.

Their famous slogan “Ask the man who owns one” just didn’t mean the same when their cars became more common.

Read More From This Brand:

• Bethlehem Steel, Pennsylvania
• Domino Sugar Factory, New York
• The Lane Motor Museum, Tennessee