Custom bodied Packards

[Guest sandburr]

The article regarding the 1936 Packard Fernandez and Darrin speedster with an Auburn boattailed speedster body is on pages 33-43 of our own Antique Automobile, July-August 1988, Vol. 52, #4. It confirms that Dutch Darrin did build this car in 1935 in Paris, that Dick Saunders carried out extensive modifications to it, but did NOT build it, and that Dutch gave the then owner, Harold Sliger of Peoria, Ill. much information that allowed Mr. Sliger to restore it as originally built. Two very telling features of the car are the door hinges which Darrin had specially cast with a "D" for Darrin cast into them, and the main top bow which retracts into the body, rather than folding with the top. This feature was a Darrin patent. In addition, many of the numbers from the parts on the chassis and the Auburn body match numbers from Darrin's file on this car. It is an interesting read.

Don Conard

[Guest sandburr]

Thanks for all the information on the maybe F&D Boattail. Didn't mean to stir up a hornets nest. Kind of disappointed - I thought I had stumbled upon a long lost one of a kind discovered in some French Château after 60 years with a great history. Still confused as to the F&D Connection but I guess I am not the only one.

See article on this car in the July-August 1988, vol. 52, #4, pp. 33-43. None other than Howard "Dutch" Darrin confirmed he built it.

[Guest stephen48]

1929 Packard Dietrich restored in NZ.

[A. Ballard 35R]

Don,

If you go back to post 374 you will find an in depth discussion of this car. It was an Auburn body and not a Darrin body. Apparently there was a lot of misinformation contained in that AA article.

[edinmass]

Here is another for the list.......

[edinmass]

Is this Dave Mitchell's car being detailed for the next Grand Classic? No wonder it costs a fortune to own an open Packard. I guess this is where "Ass the man who owns one!" Sorry..... "Ask" :cool:

[edinmass]

Two more.... not sure if the first is a factory body or not...... Ed

[edinmass]

Another for the file......

[Dave Mitchell]

Correct - that's my detail team! It's great to own a Packard.

[Dave Mitchell]

Here are a couple of photos of the 1938 Derham convertible victoria restored as closely to original as we could get it.

[alsancle]

Wow. I like that quite a bit. Words can't describe how nice it looks without white walls defiling it

[Dave Mitchell]

No one wants blackwalls in that size. I had to beg Coker to make them - it took 2 1/2 years to get them and wouldn't have happened without Corky Coker himself committing to it and making a special run for me. I really appreciate it! The car came with blacks when new and wouldn't be right with whites.

This car makes me think of the late 540K (2nd version) 2 door offner tourenwagen - what do you think? It is bigger of course... I think this car looks very European. It also looks much sportier in person, a bit sinister really, and photos just don't really do it justice, so I hope you see it in person. DM

Wow. I like that quite a bit. Words can't describe how nice it looks without white walls defiling it

[alsancle]

It is funny you mention the 540k because I thought it was a European body before reading your post. The crisp lines of the "boot" definitely make me think of a German coachbuilder. Derham & Rollston (pre-high hat) are two of my favorite pre-war carrossiers.

[edinmass]

OK, the car is a factory body, but I think it's fair to say that the young lady is NOT! Ed

[Guest Oldschoolgent]

OK, the car is a factory body, but I think it's fair to say that the young lady is NOT! Ed

Concerning the extra vertical metal pieces on the bumper, what purpose to they serve and what are they called?

[Dave Gelinas (XP-300)]

Just caught this thread......Excellent!

[alsancle]

Concerning the extra vertical metal pieces on the bumper, what purpose to they serve and what are they called?

Are you asking about the bumperettes? I was say decorative.

[edinmass]

The car would look much better with Dagmars. :cool:

[Guest Oldschoolgent]

Are you asking about the bumperettes? I was say decorative.

Uh, maybe that's what they're called? haha The "things" seen at 8 o'clock in the picture.

[Guest Oldschoolgent]

Anyone have some information on this car? It was captioned only as a 1915 Packard Twin Six Town Car.

[twin6]

Anyone have some information on this car? It was captioned only as a 1915 Packard Twin Six Town Car.

Fleetwood bodied 3rd series twin six (1921), in the Blackhawk Collection.

[Guest Mischa Lemaire]

Good this be the Erdmann and Rossi that i have been looking for years now?

Now this car is interesting. This car was in Ohio for the late 1950's until about 10 - 12 years ago when it was sold out to the West Coast. The guy who had it always referred to it as a Kellner body. But when you look at it, there's really nothing European about it. He bought it this way in the late 1950's. It was painted a darker color at the time. One dealer who had it said the CCCA Classification Committee accepted the car and said it could possibly be a Rollston. There was a green restored 1937 Packard Super Eight Rollston phaeton at the Warren 1999 meet and the body on it looked nothing like this car. Some of us have hypothosized the following: The body was originally on a 1933 or 1934 Packard chassis, and after 3 or 4 years the owner had a new chassis ordered and this body installed with some alterations to the front doors and winshield areas. The windshield frame almost looks stock 1937 Packard senior convertible, and the rear 1/2 of the body looks like a stock 1933/34 Packard phaeton. I'm not knocking the car at all, but it's just not a Rollston in any sense of the word. I'm wondering if the cowl and windshield posts are stock 1937 Packard convertible, the front doors altered to fit the cowl, and the rest of the body stock 1933/34 Packard phaeton.

[K8096]

No. Read the post that accompanies picture and it you tells what that car is.

[edinmass]

Here is two more from India. Lots of great old iron there still in the garage where they were parked in the 50's. Enjoy, Ed.

[Packard Don]

I just read through this entire thread and loved it! I have a few photos somewhere that I'll try to post once I locate them. One is of the front wheel drive Packard that used to be at Harrah's in Reno where the sign indicated it was made by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky. The other was owned by a friend and was, as I recall, a 1932 902 canvas topped stationery coupe that was specially built to smuggle prohibition era liquer. At a glance it looked perfectly normal but it's golf bag door was huge. The only coach built car I ever owned, other than many Henney-Packards that were only glossed over in this thread, was a 1964 Ghia-Imperial limousine.

[twin6]

A 3-36 in New Zealand, with custom body by Phillips.

[Dave Mitchell]

A good looking car - rather modern for its time. Thanks for posting it. There is a good sized group of Packard enthusiasts in New Zealand. Some very nice people and nice cars too.

[Packardbarry]

THOMPSON BODY COMPANY Reim-Thompson Co., Robert Thompson Co., Thompson Body Co., George F. Reim, R.M. Thompson, Robert M. Thompson - Coachbuilt.comdoes make sense seeing how the car has a Calif lic plate and Thompson was in LA. As i said when u enlarge the photo u cant make out the body builders tag 100%. Its retangular, approx 1"x3" and DIETRICH's tag came to mind but ive been wrong before. Anyone know what a Thompson Body Co. name plat looks like? AND im thinking the rad shell it MILLAR ie Race Cars and they were out of So. Calif so there might be a connection there with Millar. On that latest photo showing the RH side i see it has a large exhaust pipe which to me spells out that there was some stuff going on under the hood. With those air scoops in the hood, the large tail pipe, the MILLAR rad shell, full body pan, it makes u wonder if Millar was playing with it also. Think this baby was made for SHOW AND GO. If this guy Major Glasscock was the owner thats refered to with the car was reel he must have been an interesting dude.

Just ran across this TAB I posted and realized I never did a followup. This Speedster fascinated me because of its beauty and also because of the many stories that were attached to it which were in disagreement with each other. Has been referred to as the

Glasscock Speedster – Glascock Speedster – McDaneld Speedster – Thompson Speedster

SO WHAT SHOULD WE CALL IT ?

After research I find the best title for it would be the Glasscock Speedster. More than likely was a custom order by Lt. John Glasscock, Perris, Calif, from the D. E. McDANELD Inc. PACKARD Dealership, Pasadena, California. Pretty sure built on a 1929 PACKARD Speedster chassis.

A 1930? article on Speedsters has a photo of the car with the owner sitting behind the wheel and notes that the man is Lt. J. R. Glasscock and was designed by the THOMPSON AUTO BODY COMPANY, L.A., Calif.; presumably built by them.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XlC7sSS_MYQ/T7BYhMHH5oI/AAAAAAAB7Jc/UFwQjod7DRI/s1600/DSC_0280.JPG

There is a series of photos taken of the Speedster taken on the same day in 1929. Two have the Lt. behind the wheel. If u study them there is no doubt the Speedster is showroom new. 1929 Calif Lic Plate / 6W 349. Research reviled the house in the background was that of Donald McDaneld and wife Margaret, 589 Winston Avenue, San Marino, Calif. Donald was owner of D. E. McDANELD, Inc. PACKARD Dealership, 1095 E. Colorado Boulevard , Pasadena, Calif.. Not much of a stretch to think that the Speedster was ordered though the McDaneld Dealership. The Speedster definitely brought Glasscock and McDaneld together but it also might have been the love of airplanes. Lt. Glasscock was in the AIRCORPS and McDaneld was a pilot, owning four planes and President of the National Aeronautic Assn. Maybe both or more?

The McDaneld house in the background of a couple of the photos is still there today in its grandeur. If you which to see the backdrop of the house that is shown in the photos do a GOOGLE Map / STREET VIEW 589 Winston Avenue, San Marino, Calif. and go around the corner to East California Blvd.

Lt. John Raglan Glasscock, Jr. was born in Oakland, California on September 25, 1885; D 1942. His father was a Bay Area attorney, who became the District Attorney of Alameda County, a U.S. Congressman, and ultimately the Mayor of Oakland, Calif. The Lt. along with being a hell of a car guy

-Attended University Of California at Berkley.

-Held the World Record for ascent time of the Matterhorn Swiss Alps.

-Carrier soldier

-In 1908 received a commission from the British Government to explore the Forbidden Lands of Tibet.

-Served in WWI and WWII

In 1930, the U.S. Census found Glasscock living in bachelor officers' quarters at MARCH FIELD in Perris, Ca. Approx. 50 miles from the McDaneld dealership and home.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Packardbarry (see edit history)

[alsancle]

Here is one I have always liked. I really like it now. 1 of 3 built. I thought it was somewhere else in this thread but I could not find it.

[Packardbarry]

"Here is one I have always liked. I really like it now. 1 of 3 built. I thought it was somewhere else in this thread but I could not find it."

Believe i saw one of these at PEBBLE a few yrs back. Sometimes u have to wonder what all the fuss about open cars is.

Edited July 5, 2014 by Packardbarry (see edit history)

[West Peterson]

Believe i saw one of these at PEBBLE a few yrs back. Sometimes u have to wonder what all the fuss about open cars is.

x2

[Mahoning63]

x3

[Dave Mitchell]

Rob Hilarides in California did a heroic restoration on an 845 Dietrich sedan and it won the closed class at Pebble in 2012. It is very, very nice and done in dark green. The other real one that I know still exists is in the Nethercutt collection.

[alsancle]

Was this the famous "junkyard" car?

[West Peterson]

Rob Hilarides in California did a heroic restoration on an 845 Dietrich sedan and it won the closed class at Pebble in 2012. It is very, very nice and done in dark green. The other real one that I know still exists is in the Nethercutt collection.

Dave. Are you implying that the one in Urbana is not real?

[colinvoice]

Can some one identify this european coach builder 1936 Packard 120

 

Colin

[Owen_Dyneto]

Sorry, can't confirm but would suspect Tickford, Salmsons or Coachcraft if an English coachbuilder which it may or may not be.  You might want to contact Walt Gosden who has been publishing for decades on coachbuilders.   Or maybe view  www.coachbuilt.com and you might be lucky and find a photo.

[colinvoice]

 

 

Hi Owen

 

Just thought I'd send over a few more pictures. I'm starting to think that it might not be a British coach builder, perhaps French? I've looked through coach builders web site and that's where I'm getting that idea from.

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Colin

 

 

[Guest bkazmer]

rhd and it looks like either a top rest or landau bar attachment on each side.  Pile o' canvas top design likely,  says english-swiss-german to me rather than french.  but just a guess

[nzcarnerd]

There is one here   -   http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle.php?id=843707   - that has not been positively identified.  There are two others in the same movie but I don't know if they are standard factory bodies or customs.