Errol Flynn's Packard?

[Guest]

When I was visiting Victoria, British Columbia about 25 or 30 years ago, I stopped by a car museum that had, among other things, a 1939 Packard 12 sedan that once belonged to Errol Flynn. The car was dark blue with a leather covered roof. I remember the rear compartment was quite distinctive. It sported blue leather upholstery and, if I remember correctly, a very thick lamb's wool carpeting, also dyed blue. I asked the docents how they'd come across this car and they said someone had found it in the California desert at some point and it had made it's way into their custodianship. I heard years later that the museum had closed and the cars were sold. I am curious to know if anyone knows where this particular Packard ended up?

Greg

[keiser31]

3 minutes ago, GregLaR said:

When I was visiting Victoria, British Columbia about 25 or 30 years ago, I stopped by a car museum that had, among other things, a 1939 Packard 12 sedan that once belonged to Errol Flynn. The car was dark blue with a leather covered roof. I remember the rear compartment was quite distinctive. It sported blue leather upholstery and, if I remember correctly, a very thick lamb's wool carpeting, also dyed blue. I asked the docents how they'd come across this car and they said someone had found it in the California desert at some point and it had made it's way into their custodianship. I heard years later that the museum had closed and the cars were sold. I am curious to know if anyone knows where this particular Packard ended up?

Greg

Don't know about the Packard, but a friend of mine got a car of Errol Flynn's from the "desert" location. It was a Chrysler Town and Country convertible. So....at least that part of the story about the Packard may be true. I heard he had a few cars.

[Guest]

That is interesting keiser31, thanks.  Can you elaborate at all on this?

[keiser31]

48 minutes ago, GregLaR said:

That is interesting keiser31, thanks.  Can you elaborate at all on this?

All I know is that the guy ran across this shed or garage in the desert and there were a few cars in there. He somehow got the information about Errol Flynn owning the cars and went from there. I have no idea how he actually got it and it may have been from an executor/caretaker of the estate. All I know is the car turned out beautifully. I wish I hadn't lost 1000s of photos due to a computer problem recently or I would be posting a photo of the car.

[Guest]

How long ago did this happen?

[K8096]

I believe the car is owned by a well known collector in Indiana.   He's had it a long time, so perhaps he got it from the museum.   I was told it WAS NOT Errol Flynn's car originally.   That story was made up.   

 

 

[keiser31]

1 hour ago, GregLaR said:

How long ago did this happen?

That would have been around 1977 or 1978 maybe.

[keiser31]

1 hour ago, GregLaR said:

How long ago did this happen?

That would have been around 1977 or 1978 maybe.

[alsancle]

2 hours ago, K8096 said:

I believe the car is owned by a well known collector in Indiana.   He's had it a long time, so perhaps he got it from the museum.   I was told it WAS NOT Errol Flynn's car originally.   That story was made up.   

 

  

 

This seems to happen quite a bit.  If you don't see a picture of the famous person sitting in the car (still suspect) or a title in their name it is false 95% of the time.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, K8096 said:

I believe the car is owned by a well known collector in Indiana.   He's had it a long time, so perhaps he got it from the museum.   I was told it WAS NOT Errol Flynn's car originally.   That story was made up.   

 

 

Yes, this looks like the car I saw in the museum. 

[Guest rb1949]

Looks like he owned a convertible.

[auburnseeker]

That photo looks really photoshopped.  The image of the driver is very clear as is the car but the hand is very obscured.  The 2000's Ford? truck in the back ground doesn't help. 

[Guest]

......and it's right hand drive. 

[auburnseeker]

I was excusing the right hand drive part.  I thought maybe he bought an export model or the picture was taken overseas, but the other 2 elements jumped out at me.  

[keiser31]

I just had a memory jog in the middle of the night. It was Cornel Wilde's Chrysler T & C....not Errol Flynn's. Same situation with the desert find, though. Sorry about that. My 60 some year old brain is skipping....

Edited February 14, 2017 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[jrbartlett]

These movie star stories sure have a way of spreading. My father owned a '31 LaSalle touring that came from a collection that also included another car, maybe a Hudson or Nash, that had been owned by Hoot Gibson and had "HG" monograms all over it. My father sold the LaSalle and it changed hands a couple times. Years later, after my father was gone, my brother got a call out of the blue from an auction company seeking to verify the provenance of the LaSalle as having been owned by Hoot Gibson. My brother told them "No, that was another car entirely." They kept asking if he was sure, and he said yes. Later he saw the LaSalle listed in an auction catalog. Despite his denials, the auction company still described it as "possibly owned by Hoot Gibson." 

 

I remember seeing a Mercedes listed in an auction catalog that was "reportedly owned by Mr. Mercedes." As most of you know, there was no "Mr. Mercedes." The car's name came from the first name of a girl.

 

[60FlatTop]

That celebrity stuff happens all the time.

 

Lenny switched careers and became a photographer. Then photoshopped himself in front of MY car to try to get in with The Buick Club.

Even got his wife to shorten his pants a little too much!

 

You just can't believe everything you see.

Bernie

Edited February 14, 2017 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[Guest Andy6102]

On 2/13/2017 at 6:16 PM, GregLaR said:

When I was visiting Victoria, British Columbia about 25 or 30 years ago, I stopped by a car museum that had, among other things, a 1939 Packard 12 sedan that once belonged to Errol Flynn. The car was dark blue with a leather covered roof. I remember the rear compartment was quite distinctive. It sported blue leather upholstery and, if I remember correctly, a very thick lamb's wool carpeting, also dyed blue. I asked the docents how they'd come across this car and they said someone had found it in the California desert at some point and it had made it's way into their custodianship. I heard years later that the museum had closed and the cars were sold. I am curious to know if anyone knows where this particular Packard ended up?

Greg

Hi Greg;

I too visited the car museum in Victoria BC years ago when the museum was still in existence.The 1939 Packard V12 Bohman and Schwatz was advertised  as previously belonging to Errol Flynn.My father took the photo of the car below back in 1965 at a Packard meet in Banff Alberta,and at the time belonged to Murray Gammon before he went on to open the antique car museum in Victoria.My understanding is that when the museum was closed,this 1939 Packard was purchased by Tom Crook.So if you checked with Tom Crook, he may be able to shed some light on where the car is now. Merry Christmas to all !!!

[ols car dog]

Bernie

YOU are a BADD MAN!!!!

[1912Staver]

I remember the museum well. As a youngster who was mad about vintage cars it was the highlight of any visit to Victoria. I always had a hard time convincing my parents the admission was worth it, but usually they gave in.

 I think relatively few of the cars stayed in B.C. after the sale.  Perhaps some of the more involved British Columbia  forum members can shed some light ? Peter F, Vintagerodshop?

 

Greg in Canada

Edited December 25, 2017 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Marty Roth]

Bernie, didn't some used car salesman tell me you're a distant cousin to Mr. Nimoy? 

That the Riviera was a special Edition called USS ENTERPRISE?

and I thought the License Plate was "NCC-1701"

[JV Puleo]

On 2/14/2017 at 11:07 AM, jrbartlett said:

I remember seeing a Mercedes listed in an auction catalog that was "reportedly owned by Mr. Mercedes." As most of you know, there was no "Mr. Mercedes." The car's name came from the first name of a girl.

 

 

 

Actually, Emile Jellinek, the man responsible for the Mercedes and the father of Mercedes Jellinek, changed his name to Mercedes-Jellinek. His son, Guy Mercedes-Jellinek, the brother of Mercedes, wrote a book about his father titled "My Father, Mr. Mercedes." Emile Jellinek died in 1918 so it would have to have been a pretty early car to have belonged to him. But, there was such a car... a 60HP Mercedes limousine that the family sold in 1952 so it is probably out there somewhere.

[padgett]

Most of the cars that are purported to have been owned by me, were.

[8E45E]

From The Classic Car Museum's guidebook when I visited in 1986.

 

Craig

[nzcarnerd]

33 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

From The Classic Car Museum's guidebook when I visited in 1986.

 

Craig

I think the museum was a little optimistic with their figures? The V12 engine is 473 cu in not 500. I would be surprised if it could do anywhere near 120 mph. It would weigh near to 6000 lb and the rear end ratio is 4.4 to 1 - unless it has a tall rear end?. 4.4 is about the same as a late '30s Buick and they run out of revs at about 80-90.  It would need to pull 5,000 rpm to do 120 mph?

[Eldovert]

Murray Gammon passed on a number of years ago. Andy's tip is accurate..Tom Crook was a close friend of Murray and purchased a number of his cars. He would have the straight scoop.

Cheers,Pat

[Dave Mellor NJ]

On 2/14/2017 at 6:29 AM, rb1949 said:

Looks like he owned a convertible.

That stoneguard looks like the type available in the 70s-80s for any car just give the outline of the radiator. There's also a pretty modern streetlight down the road. I think the most famous fake celebrity car was The Elvis Corvette, a 54 (?) model that was sold at the Atlantic City Auction in the late 70s. Somebody supposedly found an Elvis receipt under the seat during a hurry up restoration. I think it turned out to have been planted there as Elvis never had a car anything like that. It was before he became famous. A lot of funny business went on at those auctions of yesteryear.Even though many victims got their money back a lot of record prices were established and never went  back to reality.

Edited December 26, 2017 by Dave Mellor NJ (see edit history)

[8E45E]

8 hours ago, nzcarnerd said:

I think the museum was a little optimistic with their figures? The V12 engine is 473 cu in not 500. I would be surprised if it could do anywhere near 120 mph. It would weigh near to 6000 lb and the rear end ratio is 4.4 to 1 - unless it has a tall rear end?. 4.4 is about the same as a late '30s Buick and they run out of revs at about 80-90.  It would need to pull 5,000 rpm to do 120 mph?

I do agree on that.  I scanned the page 'as shown' without comment on the errors in the text.

 

All the cars in that museum were well-restored when I saw them in 1986.  Perhaps the most interesting car there was a 1967 Lincoln Lehmann-Peterson 8-passenger limousine which was an unmolested example up to that time.  The original 9" Philco-Ford black & white television and tape-player were still intact and in place in the middle rear seating area below the partition window.

 

Craig