In 1899, a small American company, Packard, was founded to produce self-propelled vehicles of its own design. Just 2 years later, a large entrepreneur Henry Joy became the new owner of the brand, who invested colossal funds in his new acquisition, opening a factory complex in the automotive capital of North America, Detroit. In 1904, after many years of work, the first production model of the Packard company was presented, which received the name Packard L. Due to the fact that the chief designer of the car was the French specialist Charles Schmidt, the car received a design unique for American cars of that time.

In 1912, Packard introduced its first luxury car, the Dominant Six, equipped with the latest generation of six-cylinder powertrains. The success of this car of the brand in competition with a number of luxury cars from other manufacturers allowed over the next 5 years to prepare a whole range of executive cars, which were in demand among both industrialists and politicians, and from the gangsters. After the end of the First World War and during the Great Depression, Packard, one of the few US auto-building firms, was able not only to maintain production volumes, but also to increase profits once.

During the Second World War, Packard was actively involved in the construction of aircraft power units, which were distinguished by their light weight and increased reliability due to the use of revolutionary alloys. However, at the end of the war, the Packard brand did not receive the super-profits promised by the US government. This led to the fact that the production of civilian models, resumed in 1946, was limited to only one model. And in 1954 the Packard company became a part of the Studebaker concern, which completely stopped producing the brand's models in 1958, launching new developments under its own brand.