1942 Packard Clipper FS on ebay

[jeff_a]

Someone in Sacramento has a Packard for sale described as a '42 Clipper. Auction ends about noon Friday, 9/16/16.

It clearly has a six. My grandfather had a '41 Packard Clipper seven- or eight-door airport limousine until 1983 and it had a 6, too. It was identical to the one written up in a Hemmings story about the Manhattan Project Packard a few years ago with a Fitzjohn body. I wanted to buy it from him, but he sold it before I knew.

 

Looking in my Standard Catalog of American Cars, I see the '41 Clipper was generally listed as an 8, and the '42 as both a Clipper Series (6-cyl.), and Clipper Series (8-cyl.). The Packard in Sacramento seems to be fairly complete if not drive-able, and has the look of a car stored inside some of the time (paint's shot but not a massively rusty car). I'm not planning on buying this car, but was a little surprised that there were other Clipper sixes out there. I believe it's a 4-door Touring Sedan and the Car Serial# on the firewall is T-532-6395.

Edited September 16, 2016 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Ozstatman]

"Car Serial# on the firewall is T-532-6395"

 

Jeff,

 

Probably "1582" which is a Special Six Clipper Touring Sedan

A "1532" would be a Custom Super Eight One-Eighty Formal Sedan, a different beast altogether.

When stamped by Packard the 1's look more like a capital "I: and could be mistaken for a capital "T"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Packard-CLIPPER-STANDARD-CUSTOM-LEAD-SLED-/262617595404?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3d253a7e0c:g:JsIAAOSwdIFXw6ys&item=262617595404

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2016 by Ozstatman
Add link to eBay listing (see edit history)

[jeff_a]

Thank you, Mal, for help with the model. The sellers gave a lot of attention to photographing the car, but the tag was a little hard to read. It would have been funny if I had purchased that huge Packard Clipper 30 years ago. I don't know what I would have done with it. It was in rough shape. My grandfather had cut the metal roof off to make a canopy for his Holt Crawler tractor, and a grass fire had burnt over it. I did get a copy of Special Interest Autos (#59, 1980) with a driveReprt on a '41 Clipper, and it sounded like a good car to have if it had been in running shape. My Grandpa's Packard was 7200 lbs, 192" in wheelbase, sat 12 or 15, and was 22' long. The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History has a partially-restored one in New Mexico. 

 

The nine-page SIA article was excellent. There was a long discussion of whether Howard A. Darrin designed the body or not, and good photos of a restored Clipper Sedan. The coolest thing about this story is that the feature cars owner found a bunch of antique coins and toys in the upholstery that sold for more than he paid for the whole car! Clark and Kime's Standard Catalog of American Cars, VOL I, 1805-1942, has 2 or 3 pages re: '41 & '42 Packards, and talks a bit about how 1942 models had a lot of influence from the 1941 Clipper body design.

Edited September 16, 2016 by jeff_a (see edit history)