Custom bodied Packards

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Will look for both of you this fall, Dave! My dad had a major operation this year as well, and upon the sucessful completion I knew this would cheer him up "Well, I guess I will go ahead and make those Hershey reservations now.." (maybe you have to appreciate our sick sense of humor, but it was funny!)

That oral history is priceless, no doubt someone as detail oriented as you will be documenting it in some way.

[Tom Laferriere]

The find of the 21st Century? I was visiting my father in Florida and came home with this fine automobile.

[twin6]

The find of the 21st Century? I was visiting my father in Florida and came home with this fine automobile.

And Owen_Dyneto shared photos of it back on post 33...

[Dave Mitchell]

Great car Tom. Please share more photos of it.

[Restorer32]

Dang Tom, I hope you are as good at selling cars as you are at finding them or that you have a very understanding wife.

[Tom Laferriere]

I believe those photos were from the 60's.

[Tom Laferriere]

Dang Tom, I hope you are as good at selling cars as you are at finding them or that you have a very understanding wife.

Jeff, I find the hunting very rewarding in many ways. As for selling, "what can I do to put you in the seat of a Packard today?" I am wearing a Leisure Suit by the way. Edited May 11, 2011 by Tom Laferriere (see edit history)

[Steve_Mack_CT]

"Buy today and I will throw in the paint protection and floor mats"

Not sure I can remember Tom in a leisure suit anytime though, maybe for the Newport Concours....

[West Peterson]

1935 Dietrich

[Dave Mitchell]

Very interesting design study West - the Car of the Dome meets streamlining. (on a smaller scale)

[West Peterson]

Franay 1939

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Very cool, West - appears to be a 120 chassis based on grille and hood trim.

[Mahoning63]

West - love the Dietrich, wish Packard would have gone ahead with it for 1938. The design might have benefitted from a longer decklid.

The Dietrich rendering depicts a fairly low height. Packard seemed intent on maintaining a flat floor in the 30s, i.e. no trans tunnel like the 60 Special. They might have brought the height down and kept the floor flat had they worked out the FWD prototype's issues. Am wondering if they could have instead adapted Safe-T-Flex to the rear suspension to make it independent, which would have fixed the driveshaft in place and negated the need for vertical travel in a trans tunnel. They might have shaved 3 or so inches from the vehicle height while still keeping the floor flat and staying RWD. A nice side benefit would have been industry leading ride and handling.

Paul West

Edited May 17, 2011 by Mahoning63 (see edit history)

[Tom Laferriere]

1937 Packard 1508 Custom Aluminum bodied Boattail. Body by Jethro. The first "REAL" boattail.

[vintageride]

1937 Packard 1508 Custom Aluminum bodied Boattail. Body by Jethro. The first "REAL" boattail.

Wow. That must be Jethro and Grumman.

Stunning.

[Restorer32]

Tom, I saw that car in the corral at Hershey. In a way it would be a shame to restore it. Quite a conversation piece. Maybe start a legend about it, maybe "Originally built for a survivor of the Titanic who was afraid to travel without a lifeboat handy"? If some people can be convinced that Tucker built a convertible they certainly would believe this story.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

"A Collapsible boat-back that was originally built for a gentleman farmer who had a country estate where duck hunting was a popular sport. Still looking for gun rack door"

I believe it did move under it's own power though, not sure how many of the 12 cylinders were in working order..

[West Peterson]

A special order for Ed MacCauley

[West Peterson]

Oops. Wrong file. Let's try that again.

A special order for Ed MacCauley: 1938 1703 Super Eight.

[Tom M]

A special order for Ed MacCauley

Nice rear ends. :cool:

[Joe Block]

Has this car survived?

I like that car, it has great offset to the lines.

[Dave Mitchell]

Oops. Wrong file. Let's try that again.

A special order for Ed MacCauley: 1938 1703 Super Eight.

Is this the same car that he two toned? He seemed to like the victoria top - didn't he incorporate that into a Darrin custom later also? This one is pretty tame compared to the earlier speedster.

[Dave Mitchell]

Wow. That must be Jethro and Grumman.

Stunning.

"Carrosserie Jethro et Grumman of Paris" I believe.

Could have been Paris TX, ME, AL or IL...

[Guest 1938darrinpackard]

"Life is too short to drive a boring car." Sharing some photos of my Dad's 1938 Darrin Packard "Sunset Strip" model Victoria convertible. (1938 Darrin Packard - Sunset Strip - Home)

and you can also find photos that photographer Tony Piff recently took on OldParkedCars.com

The Car's Story...as I understand it

Owners.Here is this car's story. Packard originally thought to be built for Adolph Zucker, founder of Paramount Pictures. Second owner was a Boeing engineer who was too short to drive the car without three inch extenders on the brake and gas pedals. Third owner is current owner, since 1950.

Nice Drive Modifications.

The car has several modifications to it - the first being a 1941 grill clip installed in late 1940 by Dutch Darrin himself at the request of the owner after seeing a crash repair Dutch had made on a similar 1938 Darrin. The car has had a super eight engine installed, a Mitchell Overdrive, power steering utilizing a mid 1950’s General Motor’s generator/power steering pump, radial ply tires on wire rims and minor electrical modifications that the current owner thought would make the car a better driver. It's a nice drive. A family friend states "The car is an excellent driver. I’m not sure if the Mitchell is a 26% or 36% increase but it turns the car into a respectable highway cruiser.".

[West Peterson]

Welcome to the forum:

Your front end modification is from 1940 model. There is another 1938 Darrin, though, that does have a 1941 front clip. The last time I saw it, it was painted light yellow with a red interior.

Edited June 10, 2011 by West Peterson (see edit history)

[Guest 1938darrinpackard]

Thanks West - I appreciate the information. My Dad loved this car and unfortunately I didn't pay that much attention to it while he was alive. Now that I have "custody" of this family member I'm working to fully appreciate it. Aesthetically I've always appreciated it - it's an elegant car...however I don't know a thing about cars so learning the auto parts and classic car terminology is new. For example...I don't know what the "front clip" is -- is it the front bumper? I'm gradually going through boxes of manuals and documents (including a letter from Rudy Stoessel) but it's slow going. The online forums are wonderful but I'm still a neophyte in just understanding what parts are similar to standard Packard and what falls in the "custom-bodied" (right term for this?) enhancements made by Dutch Darrin's team. I did find the motor number yesterday (A313463A) which confirmed the 1938 16th series Model Eight identification. I've also heard it referred to as a convertible and a roadster - not sure if both terms are accurate or just the convertible is accurate. Looking at online 1938 Packard (not custom) sales brochures last night I did notice that the Packard doors open normally (handle by drivers shoulder) while the Darrin has the door that latchs up front (gullwing?). It's turned out to be more like art appraisal than fish species identification.

Edited June 10, 2011 by 1938darrinpackard (see edit history)

[34PackardRoadsta]

38Darrin,

That is a very nice looking car. The front clip consists of the front fenders, the radiator cowl and radiator grill. It can all be removed as a single assembly. The front bumper is attached to the frame and is not part of the front clip.

The parts on your car (omitting the modifications), except the the body panels, some trim, and interior from the cowl back, should all be standard Packard items for a 1601. Also, the bumpers and hubcaps look to be standard issue.

Again, very nice looking car. I hope you get plenty of chances to enjoy it.

Cheers,

Tom

Edited June 10, 2011 by 34PackardRoadsta (see edit history)

[Guest 1938darrinpackard]

Tom,

Thanks for the information - question for you... Since your username has 'roadsta' in it I thought you could answer the question on whether Dad's 1938 Darrin Packard is considered a roadster. I'm not clear on the difference between a roadster and a convertible. Thanks!

[Owen_Dyneto]

Many manufacturers, Packard included, often let advertising rule over proper body style names, but traditionally a roadster does not have roll-up windows in the doors.

[West Peterson]

Your Darrin is considered a "convertible victoria." In addition to what 34PackrdRoadster has said, your front end (clip) is fully custom as well. All Darrin bodies were fully custom front to back, but use a production chassis. The grille, hood and fenders will not fit a normal 1938 Packard (or 1940, in your case).

The doors are not considered "gullwing." Gullwing doors are the ones that open upward, and look like a bird getting ready for flight. Your doors are front-opening doors (many times referred to as "suicide doors," but an enormously overused term to somehow make it seem special, even though they were used widely during the Pre-World War II period).

Your wire wheels are postwar issue (from the mid 1950s), and are not correct for the car.

Edited June 13, 2011 by West Peterson (see edit history)

[alsancle]

I'm a big fan of Waterhouse. Here is one that RM is selling this summer. Imagine how good this would look without the whitewalls and horns. I'm not sure about that toolbox/battery box either but that is a great car.

[West Peterson]

Neat car. I don't see any horns. The battery box was standard, which, IMO, created an aesthetic problem when using rear-mounted tires.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Maybe A.J. meant the Pilot Ray lights. How does one access that box - not through the top of the fender, I hope.

BW would look right on this car, great combo of sporting and formal lines - would look great in maroon, dark blue or black.

[alsancle]

Thanks Steve, I meant the pilot rays. West, I love rear mounted spares, but the battery box does mess up the lines in this case.

[West Peterson]

The battery box opens from the top. The top of the box is hidden when the car has sidemount tires. AJ's picture doesn't show it, but the box is actually on the very inside part of the fender. I like dual rear spares on certain cars, but I think they look wierd on most.

Edited June 14, 2011 by West Peterson (see edit history)

[West Peterson]

Here's a photo of our car. You can see how the box get's mostly hidden by the tire.

[Guest 1938darrinpackard]

Your Darrin is considered a "convertible victoria." In addition to what 34PackrdRoadster has said, your front end (clip) is fully custom as well. All Darrin bodies were fully custom front to back, but use a production chassis. The grille, hood and fenders will not fit a normal 1938 Packard (or 1940, in your case).

The doors are not considered "gullwing." Gullwing doors are the ones that open upward, and look like a bird getting ready for flight. Your doors are front-opening doors (many times referred to as "suicide doors," but an enormously overused term to somehow make it seem special, even though they were used widely during the Pre-World War II period).

Your wire wheels are postwar issue (from the mid 1950s), and are not correct for the car.

Thanks West - had a photoshoot today with the car and got some shots with the "suicide doors" open.. Our friend Ted also calls them "show me more" doors, referring to leggy starlets exiting from the car.

[alsancle]

32 is my favorite year for Packard and this beauty popped up along the top of the AACA site when I logged in a few minutes ago. Is it a factory body or coachbuilt? Waterhouse? Rollston?

[alsancle]

Love Dietrich bodies and this is a beauty. I also love blackwalls but I believe this car is running 17 Michelin radials which are way too large for the car. RM will be offering it this summer.

[West Peterson]

My favorite year as well, for almost all car lines. Nash would be an exception, which continued the clamshell fenders through 1933. The nice thing about the 1932 Packards is that even the Twelves had those beautiful headlights. I've never been a fan of those tiny headlights they use on the twelve-cylinder cars of 1933-34. I like the shape, I just think they're too small for the proportions.

Those may be Michelins, but I don't think they're radials.