Barn Find in Switzerland

Only very recently acquired by a European collector who wants to stay anonymous:

1938 Packard cabriolet by the Swiss coachbuilder Graber. This was a barn find 20 years ago, but it took the buyer the best part of two decades to convince the owner to sell. The car has not been on the road since the 1950s.

Chassis # 1601-2039 , Engine # A311-499A.

http://www.prewarcar.com/show_article_photo.asp?id=3293

First Graber body I'm seen that was actually attractive.

I'm currently searching for a picture of a Duesenberg that had a Graber body on it. It looks almost exactly like this Packard. When I find one, I'll post.

I think it's better looking than any Darrin. That Duesenberg you mentioned used to be painted an awful orange color and didn't have a Duesenberg grille on it. Harrah's used to own it.

I actually kind of liked the color, kind of a dark burnt orange color.

I agree with you, this Graber Packard is better looking than a Darrin, and most certainly built 100 times better as well.

West,

Thanks for posting that find. What a fantastic looking Packard!

Robert.

Graber Duesenberg.

It's good that Graber (or somebody) decided to keep the Packard grille.

By the way, my comment on Darrin did not mean I don't like Darrins. If I had the opportunity to buy one Packard, it would be a Darrin.

Okay. I found a profile photo of the Duesenberg that Dennis Adler shot:

WOW, what a great-looking Packard!

They even gave them both the same hood louvers. Somewhere I have a photo of the Packard when it was new. I think it was shown at one of the European salons or auto shows. I like it a lot.

Dave, I agree, that is one great looking car. West, I also agree with your comment on build quality. I had the experience of installing interior and top in a Darrin, and the "custom" workmanship on the body is of poor quality, very much in evidence from the inside naked view of the body. That said, they are of course beautiful cars. David Coco

They do look like sister cars, as if they were designed together to be placed on different chassis only. You don't see too many Duesenbergs without their iconic grille.

I hope that whoever restores the Packard, he uses black sidewall tires.

Here's an example of the Darrin Packard that I saw a few years ago in San Diego.

A few years ago? Judging by the cars in the background I would say 20 years ago!

O.K.....quite a few years ago.

What a lucky and very persitent guy. I bet he sweated bricks every hour of those 20 years hoping someone else wouldn't get it!

TG

Yah... I couldn't live like that.

The 1938 120 by Graber was shown at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours yesterday and took an award.

What a thrill to see it there!

TG

(West, your wish has been granted).

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BEautiful car!!!! Is there any known history about the car in the 1938 - 1950 time range???

I'm a huge Darrin fan as his styling ability was right at the top. However, I would never confuse the quality of construction of a Darrin built body (Hollywood, Indy, Connersville or anywhere else) with that of the European builders. The hammer was Dutch's best friend

Dave, too bad you didn't get far with the "new" rule judge's drive pitch. Nice try. I was with a friend (a bit overwhelmed at his first concours) who asked what the thingies were on the Graber's windshield pillar, and explained they were semaphore or trafficators that flipped up. I wish he could have seen them in action. I also wish I could have crawled "all around the car," but was happy enough to just see and photograph it.

There was another grail car present that day that I thought I'd never see, and they both made the 700-mile quick turnaround Sat.-Sun. trip more than worthwhile. Waaay worthwhile!

TG

In those days a Swiss motorist could have a custom body car for practically the same price as a standard car, due to a quirk in the tax laws.

Not specifically about this car, but might explain why there are so many custom bodies American cars in Switzerland.

There was a large import duty on cars but a much smaller one on parts. And if a car was 40% made in Switzerland, it was considered Swiss made for tax purposes.

By ordering a Swiss made body, the customer paid no import duties. While if he imported a complete car he paid a big tax. So it was just as cheap to buy a custom built car. Or so I have been told.

I am looking for help to identify another convertible coupe (a 1935 LaSalle) once owned by a gentleman from Lausanne, Switzerland.

It was owned by the same person (Philippe Barraud) who acquired (a couple of years later) a 1937 Cadillac roadster built on the V-16 chassis by Willy Hartmann of Lausanne.

I don't believe the LaSalle has survived ... although one never knows! The V-16 is currently in the Blackhawk collection in California.

I am thinking "Hartmann" (who later dressed the V-16 - center photo) or Reinbolt & Christé (RH photo) for the fastback rear and large, visible hinges.

Sorry for the small LaSalle photo; I got it from the daughter of its first owner.