1952 Packard Limo Opinions Needed, Crush, Part Out or Sell Whole

[Guest challengersteve]

Hello Everyone, I am mainly a lurker and rarely post but I need some advice on a car I am looking at tomorrow. I own a classic auto salvage yard and people contact me from time to time about old cars that they are going to sell for scrap. I was contacted today about a 1952 Packard Limo that has been sitting for years. This car is supposed to be 100% comlpete but the windows were shot out over the years. A local scrap guy bought it and offered it to me before it goes to the crusher. My question is would this car be rare enough to justify selling it as a builder or should I just strip it and crush the rest. I mainly deal in late 50's to late 70's cars and really do not know much about these early Packards in terms of rarity or collectability. Thank you in avance for your advice, Steve

I have done a little research and it looks like this car is a 1952 Packard Patrician Henney built executive corporate limo. From the research I have done online it stated that there were 50 of these cars built. If anyone has any other information PLEASE let me know.

I have now added a couple of pictures

Edited April 7, 2013 by challengersteve (see edit history)

[Guest challengersteve]

Hello Everyone, I was mistaken as this is a 1954 model and not a 1952

Edited April 7, 2013 by challengersteve (see edit history)

[CarlLaFong]

Do not crush it. Sell it as a builder. Glass is cheap. An interior will be pricey, but not enough to kill the deal. I'd sooner see it rodded than turned into a Hyundai

[mrspeedyt]

I agree. a builder.

[Guest BJM]

It all depends on whether you want to consider yourself a hero to the old car hobby or just make scrap price. Personally I would love to own the car as I am a fan of limousines.

Just my opinion, but a run should be made to offer it to the Packard community as a desirable heirloom project and then, if nobody wants it, cut it loose and crush it.

Is there a market for it? Barely. Restorations cost upwards of $50,000 to $75,000 for a 54 Packard whether it's a Caribbean convertible or a 4 door Clipper. It's just so out of control. So, many of the people that would "love to have it" also need to pause and check themselves before diving in.

So, I suspect there is a person or two out there that would buy the car and can afford the proper restoration. Making sure the car is seen by those people is the issue. I would run a well photographed ebay auction and put the price in the $3000 range.

Pay no attention to some of the other Packard Limousine projects on ebay now in that range and higher. Those folks are throwing darts at a board so to speak and seeing if they hit a bullseye. THIS car is more special, because as you note Packard was largely out of the long wheel base market by 1954, yielding to Cadillac, which produced about 2000-2100 each year.

Bottom line is you have found a very significant piece of automotive history and yes it needs to be saved. But if the marketplace doesn't feel the same way, then this and many other cars will be crushed in the next several years.

[Pomeroy41144]

How is "Crush" even an option? WTF?

[K8096]

The Packard Museum in Warren, Ohio has a Packard limousine one almost identical to this. It was stored in one of their out buildings behind the museum and wasn't on regular display.

[CarlLaFong]

I don't want it and would never do anything with it but, if I were closer, I'd gladly offer double scrap value for it just to park it in my yard and stare at it.

[Earl B.]

It's surely a low production car. Please be a hero and save it....B

[Guest challengersteve]

Hello Everyone, I just brought this 1954 Packard Henney Bodies Executive Sedan in today. We are in the process of cleaning it out but I have found out some fairly unusual things such as: this is radio delete, heater delete, manual steering and brakes, standard transmission. All the glass was broken out over the years but there was a really nice rear glass laying in the car. I also think based on the number stamped into the tag (2003) this was the 3rd car built this year.

The body really is not that bad and only has the kind of rust you would expect from the Oklahoma/Arkansas area. This car certainly was not in the road salt as the underbody and frame look really clean. All the stainless trim is there and is all very restorable. The doors all open and close fine and the small seats fold up and down fine as well.

I am really glad I saved this car from the crusher as it would be a real shame for it to have gotten lost that way.

If anyone can halp with any information I would certainly appreciate it.

I am very curoius as to why this car would be heater delete? Was it ordered for some one overseas or Hawaii? Could it have been a foreign ambassodors car in a warm climate? I would really like to find out some history on this car.

If anyone can help with any info please feel free to call or email me

Thanks, Steve Schweitzer

479-430-4886

steve@stevesparts.com

[Guest challengersteve]

From what I can tell they made 100 of these long wheelbase cars. 65 were the executive sedan like this one and 35 were the executive limo with the divider window. From the Packard forum it looks like there are only about 10 out of the 100 known (now 11!).

I will most certainly not part or scrap this car. I will find someone who will restore it properly.

Thanks, Steve

[john2dameron]

I'm pretty sure '54 is the last year Henney built Packards on an extended wheelbase so that should add to the value of it. I only recall seeing one, a nice black one in Winchester, VA about 1995 or so. Derham also built a few '54 Packard Limousines. There was one at the Packard Centennial gathering in Warren, OH in 1999.

[1937hd45]

That can't be all stainless, what was the secret to Packard chrome lasting so long? Bob

[Restorer32]

Have you offered the Limo to members of the Professional Car Society via there forum "Friends of the PCS" ?

[Dave@Moon]

Have you offered the Limo to members of the Professional Car Society via there forum "Friends of the PCS" ?

I was going to suggest the same thing. You should at least find more help there than just about anywhere else, possibly even more than the Packard Club.

Professional Car Society Official Website

Packard Automobile Classics, Inc. - The Packard Club

[Guest challengersteve]

Hello Everyone, thank you for the link to the Professional Car Society website. I will register and place the car there for sale as well.

Thanks, Steve

[The Continental]

Way cool and it looks solid. I think there is a buyer for it. What all sedan parts will transfer over? It doesn't look like a high top Caddy limo, so maybe a sedan could provide glass, bright work, interior, drive train, etc. 1954 Packard sedans don't exactly bring the money either even when really nice. Swapping stuff over from a nice or even a driver quality sedan could bring this back to life and also include some newer shoes for it as well. Seeing this thing restored would be cool, but getting some stuff swapped over from a sedan and getting it driving with the paint on it now would be good as well.

[Guest challengersteve]

Hello, I believe basically everything from a Patrician sedan will swap with the exception of the rear doors and long wheelbase specific parts. I agree that it would be best to use a complete 4 door sedan as a parts car and this would be the least expensive method to get this car going.

Thanks, Steve

[junkyardjeff]

I almost bought one of those from a friend but he took it almost all the way apart so I passed on it,if the body did not have too much rust I might be interested in it as I had a 50 Chrysler 8 pass sedan for over 20 years and would like to get a old limo again.

[Guest heftylefty]

This, to me, is a candidate for a DIY special type of not-quite-resto where a field expedient driveline is used, the interior is done inexpensively and the car given a decent looks-good-from-here paint job, but nothing is permanently altered so that if the market value eventually warrants it the car can be made 100 percent correct with no harm done. It would make a nice wedding car or something for a Realtor to show houses in. All the original parts would be carefully pickled and put in a clean dry garage. It would ride on modern tires and have perhaps a brake upgrade.

Or is there a reason this would be a poor game plan on a car like this (besides purist's tender feelings?)

[Rusty_OToole]

On a popular Packard forum there was some discussion of building a 1955 or 1956 limousine out of a 1954. Packard never built a limo in 55 - 56. Supposedly they could not figure out how to put the new torsion bar suspension into the limo chassis. But if they were only selling 100 a year LWB cars I don't blame them for not wanting to tool it up.

Examining the pictures, it appears the back half of the car is a 1954 Clipper club coupe with Patrician fenders, the front half is Patrician 4 door sedan, and the two halves are joined together with doors unique to the limo body.

Packard stopped making the club coupe body after 1954 so that is another reason to drop the limo style.

This car would be a great candidate for a 55 or 56 conversion. The body looks sound, yet too far gone for an original restoration.

[Packard Don]

I would love to have this car but unfortunately, having only Social Security for income at the moment, it's impossible. I can do most work myself and I already have two 1954 Patricians, one of which is a parts car with the windshield and back glass and probably the front door glass, and I also have glass from several Henney-Packard commercial cars which could probably be cut down to fit the rear doors. (No, I am not offering these parts for sale!)

That said, I am writing mainly to suggest that these "stripped down" long wheelbase sedans of any make were used primarily by funeral homes that didn't need all the bells and whistles for the few miles they drove at a time for a service. Unless some history has surfaced to the contrary - and I would love to hear it if it has - that seems the most likely scenario. Whoever owns it now, please be sure to add it to the roster on my Packards / Imperials Page linked below!

Don