Yesterday was spent test driving a RHD 1938 Packard convertible coupe being sold locally to settle an estate, while this morning I took my '51 Bentley on my usual 35 mile run to church. After services it was a leisurely drive up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, making a slight detour for sandwiches and a well-chilled bottle of chardonnay. After an impromptu picnic with friends, and a bit of tire kicking with a passing group of motorcyclists, I gently Bentled back down the mountain (elevation 1,900 ft.) into the Shenandoah valley in search of a bit of sherbert to round out the afternoon.
Now I consider Mk VI Bentleys to be the finest cars produced, post war, by Rolls-Royce and find them well up to the job of being pressed into service as every day drivers. The pre-war cars are a bit less useful on a day-to-day basis, although they make superb touring cars provided one can withstand the rigors of motoring in the summer without benefit of air conditioning. The purpose of driving the Packard was to see how it would stack up as both a daily driver and long distance tourer.
In all respects the Packard was eminently more driveable than a pre-war Rolls-Royce (or Bentley) of the period, and almost as good a daily driver as an early post-war R-R or Bentley. So, will I buy the Packard? Well, for starters, it is a convertible and that trumps a closed car any day, at least in my book it does. The steering isn't as precise, and with only a three-speed transmission one has to rely more on torque, which means the car is slower in traffic.
Perhaps, if I sold my Bentley, I could learn to love the Packard in time... but with the Mk VI in the garage, I'm afraid that I would be constantly reminded of the Packard's one or two minor short comings. Hmmm. What to do? What to do?
Now I consider Mk VI Bentleys to be the finest cars produced, post war, by Rolls-Royce and find them well up to the job of being pressed into service as every day drivers. The pre-war cars are a bit less useful on a day-to-day basis, although they make superb touring cars provided one can withstand the rigors of motoring in the summer without benefit of air conditioning. The purpose of driving the Packard was to see how it would stack up as both a daily driver and long distance tourer.
In all respects the Packard was eminently more driveable than a pre-war Rolls-Royce (or Bentley) of the period, and almost as good a daily driver as an early post-war R-R or Bentley. So, will I buy the Packard? Well, for starters, it is a convertible and that trumps a closed car any day, at least in my book it does. The steering isn't as precise, and with only a three-speed transmission one has to rely more on torque, which means the car is slower in traffic.
Perhaps, if I sold my Bentley, I could learn to love the Packard in time... but with the Mk VI in the garage, I'm afraid that I would be constantly reminded of the Packard's one or two minor short comings. Hmmm. What to do? What to do?
Last edited:
