1939 Rollson Custom bodied Super 8 Coupe. How many unrestored Rollson Packards do you see? Item # 200257063427

Kind of ungainly looking for a late-'30s custom body, though I would certainly keep it original instead of cutting it up to make a fake woody. Looks like Rollson took a leftover '33 or '34 body and grafted it onto the '39 chassis or something.

Nevertheless, you'd still have a rare, unique car. I wouldn't push it out of my garage for leaking oil on the floor!

I am familiar with this car, though I have no financial interest in it. The rear body section aluminum is in remarkably good condition. Nice that copies of the original drawings are with the car. Drawings and notes reveal that the front fenders were modified by Rollson as well. You don't often see a chauffeur driven Coupe. Car was built for a Mrs Swayze from NYC.

'I LIKE It'!

I sorta do. It looks neat in the drawings. Perhaps once it's all painted one nice dark color, I'll like it too.
Rollston/Rollson did not produce a whopping number of good looking vehicles. Most of them are kind of odd-looking "top hat" (high roof) limousines... perhaps a result of too many clients with too much time in the designer's office (or maybe just the opposite, giving the designer dimensions and not looking at the design before approving its go-ahead).

Yes, I agree, this has to be one of their best body designs I've seen. (except for a '37 Victoria-Convertible that was Great)
Like Matt said, It's a combination of the Old and New (for '39 that is), that I like.

Yes. I know which one you're talking about. Huge blind spot, though. They also built a closed car version of that car which looks very nice. In addition, they built a Darrin-style convertible victoria and four-door sedan, both of which look pretty.

This car, according to the drawings, had no left side front seat, presumably to allow better access to the rear seat for Mrs Swayze. I guess the chauffeur had no need for a "shotgun". I think it would look much better all one color and in my opinion that color just has to be black.

Yes. One color. Dark. I think I'd choose a green that was close to black (if you've seen Gene Tereshawty's dark green Darrin sedan, that's what I'd do). But black would certainly be my second choice.
Oh, and black sidewall tires.

The closed version you refer to is, I assume, the one pictured as the first photo in the latest CCCA Rollston article that just came out. I think that car is the best looking Packard Twelve sedan built after 1934, period. It's better looking than a 1938/1939 Brunn Touring Cabriolet because it has a much lower roof line & has the graceful 1937 fender line versus what they did to them in 1938. It's also better looking than the Errol Flynn car in Indiana for the same reason.

All,

Regarding late 1930s Packards with retro-styled bodies -

The 1937 Packard Super Eight Derham brougham has got to at the top of the list of retro-styled custom bodies.

Grandpa

SWEET!
I also really like those wheels. They appear to be wood spokes but they are probably steel?

The later Rollston/Rollson bodies were hit or miss with me. Many just seemed to have two high of a greenhouse. I guess for top hats. This one is pretty cool and well worth restoring in my opinion.

Sitting on 26, 100, and still not met reserve.....B

Now that's a heapin' helpin' of ugly. It looks like a homemade replica of a Packard, although the lack of chrome is refreshing. Maybe with some different fenders...

Basically, I think it's an attractive body. I think it's the fenders that make it look so bad. If it had the correct for the year Packard fenders, it'd look a ton better. Those flimsy-looking fenders make the wheels look ridiculously small.

You Guys just don't appreciate '20s style 'Artistic Design'.

Not when it's married to late 1930s aerodynamics.
The best "marriage" of these two periods that I recall is a Kellner-bodied "swept" towncar originally built on a Renault chassis from the '20s, then married to a 1937 Packard 12. It's actually is one of the best-looking town cars I've ever seen.

During the '30s most coach-builder companies designed bodies with Retro '20s styles, since most people that had enough money to buy them were older people that were more familiar with conservative (and considered more elegant) '20s styling and didn't appreciate modern racey designs.

Often the bodies were recycled by their owners on to a newer chassis.

Since we are on the topic of custom bodied cars, here is one of a 1938 (Body 3087) Twelve All Weather Cabriolet by Brunn that is in the Imperial Palace collection in Las Vegas. I took this in July of this year. Sadly, it was the only Packard in the collection at that time.

Kev, what is the square thing sticking up above the 'Roll-cage'?

Satellite radio receiver?

A blue light with the owners monogram initials on it. It lights up at night so you can see where your car & chauffer are from a distance after the opera. Soemthing you wouldn't see much outside of NYC. You would not see that car outside of the of $2 movie theatre you know!

Great idea, I need those on all my cars, to find them in the HomeDepot parking lot. LOL