"Ask the Man Who Owns One"

[dhermann1]

Packard Manor

In Chautauqua New York you can see what Mr. Packard did with his money. There's a 24 room Tudor mansion he built in 1916. It looks ancient, but it was made from poured concrete, ultra modern for its time. As a kid, in the winter, when the house was empty, my friend, whose home was the former gate house of the estate, used to have all sorts of ways of sneaking in and roaming around inside. We never damaged anything, but it was fun! It's changed hands a few times in recent years, and was given a multi million dollar make over about 5 years ago. It's in fine fettle now, and magnificent.

Clement Studebaker also had a summer home in Chautauqua. Here is an image from a 2007 calendar that the Ohio regional Studebaker enthusiasts put out.

 

[David Conwill]

I love the mansions of auto magnates. I wish more of them were located in Michigan!

-Dave

 

[tonyb]

A very good friend, a guy I met in ninth grade, was a longtime Packard enthusiast. He started collecting/restoring them when we were in high school. I recall clearly his hanging a quarter panel on one of his first projects, an early-'50s model of some sort, and his rebuilding a straight-8 flathead. This was when most of us were still trying to figure out how to gap points and plugs.

In later years he had a very nice late-'40s model, which he kept stashed in the Packard Club's garage, a semi-secret subterranean space beneath an early-20th century building. He took me down there a few times. Man, some of the earlier cars down there were just magnificent.

He died back in '95. Rarely a day goes by without some thought of him crossing my mind. His brother was left the best of his cars, that late-'40s model mentioned above. His sister, the executrix of his estate, called some weeks after his passing to inform me that he had left me his '67 Cadillac (I always did like that car), but that he had sold it between the time that version of his will was drafted and his death. It made me smile, though.

 

[Widebrim]

It never had one, as it's a base model. The poor 200s get no respect.

-Dave

The 200s did have a hood ornament, Dave, just not the cormorant.

 

[David Conwill]

The 200s did have a hood ornament, Dave, just not the cormorant.

Are you certain? I thought the 200 Deluxes got cormorants and standard 200s got nothing.

-Dave

 

[Widebrim]

Are you certain? I thought the 200 Deluxes got cormorants and standard 200s got nothing.

-Dave

I'll double-check, Dave. So far, all the photographs and drawings I've seen (including a 1951 Packard advertisement poster of mine) have showed the 200 with the low-end hood ornament.

 

[David Conwill]

This car is local to me, but I've yet to see it in person.

-Dave

 

[Widebrim]

This car is local to me, but I've yet to see it in person.

-Dave

Man, what did they do to her?

 

[David Conwill]

Man, what did they do to her?

Offhand, I'd say it's just been chopped and had some chrome removed. I rather like it as it sits, but imagine it with the chrome reinstalled, factory paint, and stock wheelcovers. I think it would have something of the air of a prewar Custom.

-Dave

 

[Silver Dollar]

Whoa, dig the crazy chop on that gow job. I'd love to see that cleaned up, the front headlights frenched, some Caddy sombreros with wide whites, a hot rear treatment, a maroon and white custom diamond tufted naughahyde interior, a Caddy mill shoehorned into the bay and a Candy Black Cherry paint job with a mile deep shine. Maybe even add a little Von Dutch touch.

 

[Professor]

This car is local to me, but I've yet to see it in person.

-Dave

That's a crime...an absolute crime. [bad]

 

[Silver Dollar]

That's a pretty significant example of what was going on in the 50's in the custom world. If it were a mint restoration and someone turned it into that, then o.k., I agree with you. If it was in lousy condition in the first place and a true disaster, then the car was resurrected, you're talking about an institution. Some kid about 17 or 19 with a limited amount of scratch who's handy with a wrench takes a disaster and makes it his own. Unfortunately when the money runs out, the car stays in primer until the owner can finish it. That's old school hot rodding at its best. It conjures up names like Ed Roth, Darryl Starbird, Dean Jeffries, Bill Hines, Kenny Howard (Von Dutch), Tommy Ivo, and the rest of the gang.

 

[vitanola]

Remember, you're speaking of the One Twenty, Packard's answer to the economy and the reason it stayed afloat when Pierce-Arrow and Peerless disappeared. With the smaller straight eight, you would be talking about a longer crankshaft, more susceptible to breaking under strain, particularly if not geared properly. A Merc on the other hand used that Ford V8 typically with low gearing. Doesn't make the Merc a better product, only better suited for the specific task. If you really want to tow, get a Packard Twelve!

I've driven a couple of Packard Twin Sixes, a 1915 Town Car and a 1923 touring. The '15 was plagued by strong vibration at odd speeds, and bery slow pickup. The '23 was a much nicer car to drive, but both were far to heavy for comfortable use. These were really not owner-driver cars. A lighter machine, such as, perhaps a Leon Rubay or a Templar would be a better choice for anyone not a Sandow. I've driven a Templar (a 1919 pe 1920 coupe) ant it was a real delight.

As far as Packards are concerned, a Fifth Series Six or a Sixth or Seventh series Eight would suit me, though a Light Eight would be a more pleasant driver, and yet remain stylish. I can't abide the upturned bathtub styling of so many of the early post-war Packard products. Suppose that it's an acquired taste.

Mark Freimuller has a pretty decent, complete 1938 Packard 120 for sale right now for $3800. It appears to be complete, and would probably be a fairly easy restoration.

http://modelthaven.com/38p.html

Mark is a stand-up fellow, and a great guy with whom to do business.

 

[David Conwill]

This weekend, I met the owner of the red coupe posted above (I bought a new engine for my Falcon from him). I got to see the car in person, and I think it's in good hands.

Some of you may be appalled, and some may be impressed by this: That car started life as a 300-model sedan (no coupes were apparently built in that model). 300s were equivalent to Buick's Super model - the big body with the small engine.

It was in fair condition before he and a local shop did the coupe conversion. It still running the 327ci inline eight, and he's going to put the side trim back on soon.

I love it, and if it were mine, I'd reinstall a stock-type interior, paint it a sedate factory color like a creamy tan, and let people think it was a stocker.

-Dave