The summer of 1927 saw Packard introduce its newest model, known officially as the Fourth Series, or the 4-43\\. Based on a 143" wheelbase and powered by the same proven 385 cubic inch inline eight-cylinder engine as the 1926 models, this new car represented a typically evolutionary step forward for Packard. The legendary straight eight featured nine main bearings, L-head valve arrangement and produced 109 horsepower, delivered with sublime smoothness. The engineers at Packard always strove for excellence in reliability, drivability and quality, and they earned the company's status as producers of some of the finest American cars of the era. As usual with high end pre-war manufacturers, Packard had the freedom to choose from an array of standard catalog bodies, or they could select a custom body built by any number of favored coachbuilders of the era.