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'53-54 Packard by Motto


StillOutThere

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The Motto coachbuilt Packard that raced in the '53 and '54 Carrera Panamericana is well known.  Somewhat a 3/4 scale version of the production Packard coupe.   Photos of the two year versions (paint change) in race trim published many times. 

 

But was there also a second car for show exhibition and or street use, perhaps executive owned?   The attached photo is certainly full street trim and the hood scoop area is not the same as the race car with other discrepancies.  Someone know the facts?

 

MottoPackard_54.jpg

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Thanks for the photo of the Motto modified Packard. The main modification is a section of the body being removed resulting is a lower car. Sectioning is a common practice of hot rodders and customizers. It is a complicated job. The results of this change are a much different looking car. Ross Miller, a poster on the Packard Information website, is building a tribute to this car. He has named it "After Eight". The project is described in his blog on the projects section of the site.

 

JWL

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I recall reading about the sectioning of an early 50's Oldsmobile.  The body man made a stand with an arm at about 4 feet up or so, from the end of the arm hung a string with a plumb bob not quite touching the ground.  He then ran the string down the side of the car, and wherever the string touched the outer curve of the body, that was the centerline of the section he'd remove, then mate the top and bottom.  Seems that the magic number, if I remember correctly, was to remove about 4 inches vertically of sheet metal to achieve that much lowered look.

 

Would hate to think of doing that to a good car, but it does change the appearance quite a bit!

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