Dave Mitchell
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Posts posted by Dave Mitchell
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Great photo of Babe Ruth. What year is it? That is a very smooth, curved body for the time.
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The Letourneau & Marchand of the Snyder's is really an interesting car with an interesting history. If I am correct, it was purchased by a South American when new and shipped there.
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I agree, the standard Packard bodies, even sedans are good looking cars and it seems that Gubitz was to thank for that. I have seen catalog pages with his signature on them, also signed off by Ed Macauley.
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Interesting Hibbard and Darrin. I'd like to see more views of it.
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A 35 Erdmann & Rossi cabriolet
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Sorry Brian, I am a bit under the weather. Actually I didn't know that the other two originally had sidemounts, so many cars have been switched to have them that even though they have them now, I couldn't say that they always did. Then again, I don't recall seeing a photo of the car of the dome with a chrome shell. I would guess that if someone at Packard thought it would look good with a chrome shell , it would be done, much like the change from 33 to 34 configuration, or that if that was a requirement of someone who wanted to buy they car, likewise it would get done. Hopefully someone knows the story.
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Brian, is it possible that it is one of the other 2 34 Dietrich sedans with the same body, but without the fancier interior? Both still exist. Interesting photos though, fun to see period photos with people and the fashions.
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I'd like to install the original Edmunds dual carb intake on my 41 160 for summer use. Our snow if finally melting here.
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A 38 Erdmann & Rossi cabriolet.
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This woodie is really decked out - also goddess of speed, side mount, center bumper guard and license plate frame. Somewhere I have more info on it, I will have to look. I am not sure who built it. It is unusual that they started with a roadster instead of a sedan, but it gives the car a very different look.
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A 37 120 wagon
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I might be able to help you. Dave Mitchell packard12s@hotmail.com
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The 37 horn button actually isn't black, that is the earlier one, used up to 36 on the Super 8s and 12s. The 37 has a red ring instead.
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Interesting early coupes, keep the photos coming!
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The purple PIII was fashioned after a car in a modern painting done by Jack Juratovic. I would agree that the craftsmanship and paint/upholstery/chassis work can be very nice on new caochwork cars, and I would like to see them in a special class, and I think judging them against other new coachwork cars is fine, in fact I argued for that when I was on the CCCA board. However, I still think that it isn't the same as doing it in the 1930s given the technology and equipment that we have now. There are definitely varying levels of quality on new coachwork cars - I have seen some Bentleys that aren't that great, and some Packard and Duesenbergs that looked pretty bad not that long after they were built.
New coachwork is a good name and widely accepted - I argued that the CCCA should adopt that also. The cars become fakes when someone passes one off as real, or tries to, which has happened all too often.
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So far as I know it does, but the Marchal headlamps may have been changed out.
Interesting - I didn't even catch that. Did the car come from Europe?
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I remember working on the upholstery on a big Classic convertible, and the owner wanted a clear plastic cover over the new top.
I semi-argued with him, lost the argument of course, and sewed a clear cover to fit over the top, complete with binding and snap attachments.
I always thought it was silly making such a cover, but the people who're serious about showing wouldn't want a speck of dirt, or ... forbid, rain, to hit their top...
It is well known that rain will melt these cars. Ok, I know it is a lot of work to clean up a show car that has been in the rain - I have done it numerous times - but really... I am sure they never got wet when new either.
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If the owner does not go through the effort to get the information from MB the auction company cannot do it as MB will not release the records to anyone other than the owner (who must prove they are the owner).
In general the auction company just parrots what the seller says. In this case, Bernie Ecclestone owned a bunch of cars and it is possible he never got around to it.
I personally would not buy a car without knowing the full history, however I think this car is legit. Although very fancy, it's not exactly the body someone would cobble up from scratch. I just have to think that if someone was going to go to all that trouble (many years ago) then they would have built a full special roadster replica.
I would have to agree, but clearly RM didn't care to look into this. For the money they made on that sale they could have put some effort into it. Ecclestone may not have had the time, but he could have had someone research it for him. I think MB would cooperate with him. These cars don't just pop up out of thin air.
From my understanding, the records on almost all of the prewar cars exist, but some are in bad shape, or not organized and in could be in different locations and the historical dept may not even know how to find them as they are much more into the records from the 50s and newer.
I know that MB won't release a lot of info because they think that people will build cars to match serial numbers, which of course has happened with other makes.
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Hmmm, a supercharged MB with no history? Pretty much impossible. The records exist in incredible detail.
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For me, it is a couple of things - the history, and also building a car today isn't quite the same as building it in the 30s, so I have more "respect" for the original. There are a number of cars that have been built from designs that were done and not built in the 30s, but I have to apply the same standards to them.
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I like the 1108 Le Baron town car - does it still exist?
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A.J. - no problem on the Duesenberg photo. It reminds me of Bill Buddig who owned it when it was restored about 20 years ago. He was one of the nicest guys you could meet. I was standing by myself at the first Grand Classic watching the cars drive onto the Indy track for parade laps. Bill (who I had never met) saw me standing there and stopped to ask if I wanted to ride along in his 34 Packard 12 phaeton. Of course I did, and it is a very nice memory.
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Interesting that you can't have a crease in your top, and you don't have to show that it will go down. Sounds like an outdated rule to me. Are they cars or museum pieces?
Good to see you here Mr. Kazmer.
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Yes, the black car is now white with sidemounts. The photo in white may not be the best angle. I know the owner and some of the guys who worked on the car (also note the Twin Six phaeton next to it). I was surprised when they switched it to sidemounts, but the owner likes it that way. I believe he thought it covered the transition of the hood to cowl better since the 33s don't have the deSaknovsky hood like the 34s. The car came out of Australia and before that from a well known broker in the US. There are some very nice cars in NZ and even nicer people who own them.
It's all a matter of taste, but in the concours in my yard where I am head judge, there is a 10 point deduction for having the top up on your Auburn speedster (or almost any boat tail), Darrin or Special Roadster. I think a lot of open cars look better with the top down as it brings out the essense of the original design. I have had Packards that I never put the top up on and one that I drive a fair amount that has only had the top up long enough for it to dry when I was caught out in the rain. I think it is funny that some collectors will not even look at a sedan, but will never put the top down on their open cars. I told one owner of a disappearing top Murphy roadster J to put the top down on his car at Pebble and he thought I was nuts - it would wrinkle his top! I told him the advantage he had on the other cars was that his had the disappearing top for which he paid a lot extra to get - now no one could see it because he wouldn't put the top down. I asked him if he would rather have a class win at Pebble or a wrinkle free top. Hmmm, tough choice... He still had to think about it, but finally put it down, and won the class.
Custom bodied Packards
in Packard
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I certainly appreciate the ones you are posting and welcome all others as well. I find them very interesting.