Vehicle Description
Vehicle No. 1473-2008
Engine No. D300146
Packard's station wagon was one of the company's more brilliant
marketing maneuvers of the late 1930s. For many years, station
wagons had been employed by the wealthy at their country homes,
both as utility vehicles for servants and as, more or less, the
sport utility vehicle of the era, used to carry luggage to and from
the city and to ferry guests around large rural properties. It was
not uncommon for the estate's carriage house to thus include a
"woodie" of a more plebian manufacturer alongside, often, a
Packard.
Following the construction of several well-received one-off and
prototype models, it became obvious that a Packard wagon would be
welcomed by the company's clientele and would ensure further brand
loyalty, as well as become a status symbol in itself. Produced for
1941's Nineteenth Series, it was made clear that the station wagon
was a true Packard that was built on the same automobile chassis as
One Ten and One Twenty sedans, coupes and the like, and thus
exhibited the same outstanding engineering, fit, and finish that
customers had come to expect. Bodywork was designed by Hercules of
Evansville, Indiana, which was well-known for the excellent
standards of their wagon bodies.
The One Twenty model offered here was formerly owned by well-known
Packard collector Mike Ames, prior to its acquisition by the
Gateway Automobile Museum in 2010. It has been the recipient of an
outstanding restoration to the very highest standards, documented
by a small album of photographs remaining in the file and showing
the superb workmanship involved. As part of this process, the
entire wooden body was restored with all-new wood, finished to
concours quality throughout, and the sheet metal of the nose and
fenders refinished in the rare Packard hue of Inverness Green.
Accessories include fog lights and turn signals, a grille guard,
dual sidemounted spares with metal covers and Packard script
mirrors, a spotlight, and, within, an AM radio and clock. The
finish of the interior is far beyond what one might see on a more
common utility vehicle of the time, with thick, durable brown vinyl
upholstery on all three rows of seating, and full carpets. A
two-piece tailgate opens to produce an ideal perch for watching
polo matches or enjoying a picnic. Even the rear windows slide
through chromed frames, and the roof has a tiny gutter around the
edge so that water will easily drain off and not drip through the
doors!
Showing 28,957 miles at the time of cataloging, this could be one
of the finest One Twenty Station Sedans available and is worthy of
the most selective Packard collector.
