My next project? 1921 Packard Coupe

6 minute(s) of a 548 minute read

A new experience for both the Packard and I. Having been asked to display the car at the Victorian Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market Traders Assn's Annual awards night and dinner dance, we both now know our way around the labyrinth of service passages and even up a couple of floors in the lift at Melbourne's posh (5 star) Crown Towers Hotel. Despite crawling along and making what seemed like about a dozen three point turns the new radiator core has proven its worth. Even after about half an hours creeping past stacks of chairs, edging along at walking pace (a slow tick over) and squeezing through impossibly narrow gaps, the car never looked like overheating and the water level this morning is exactly where it should be. It was a long day for us both. We had a move in time scheduled for 6.45 a.m. Saturday morning and we were last out at almost 2.00 a.m. Sunday morning.

2-28-2013

Hi all

This could well be the cherry on the icing on the cake. Having temporarily fitted a modern suction cup interior rear view mirror to meet the requirements of the pre-registration "Road-worthy" inspection, I have now located the long lost original one hidden in a box of "stuff to take to a swap meet". This cleaned up nicely and with a fresh coat of paint and a new bevelled edge glass it is safely installed. Unless something remarkable turns up this has to be the final thing to be done. I have had two enquiries from my advert on the Prewar Car website but nothing positive as yet. In case anyone is interested but is too shy to ask, the price is Aust $95,000 that is US $ 97,500.

3-3-2013

It seems that you are all too shy to make any further comment. May I respectfully ask what any of you would think is the right price for what is arguably, the best early Single Six Packard in the World.

May I aslo be permitted to make one other observation. Having worked on the Single Six and studied the engine drawings of the Eight, apart from the actual horsepower output (capacity), from an engineering point of view the Six is a vastly superior engine in every way.

Keep on keeping on

3-4-2013

Hello Roger

The Hup looks perfect. It looks far more complete than many of my previous projects. It even still has the glasses in the headlamps. All its fenders and even the crank handle. The man on the site next to mine at a swap meet just last weekend had split rims for $1.00 each and another site had about fifty wood spoke wheels. Borrow a chainsaw and that tree growing through the chassis would be no problem. I just cannot understand why you have not snapped it up already. My friends at Cars UK Ltd would be happy to collect it, transport it to the England, pack it into a container and ship it to Australia. Just one problem......

In case anyone is wondering about the alarm clock attached to the dash. It actually houses a tachometer.

3-5-2013

Hello John

I hate to be a spoil sport but honestly I cannot remember every one and as far as having photographs, the quality of 127 Box Brownies really does not reproduce all that well. If I could remember, the AACA would have to start a new Forum as there would not be sufficient space here.

The teenage young lady in the black fur coat is now the mother of three. This was the third Citroen 5CV that I have restored over a space of almost 50 years. The coil and Delco distributor indicate that it was among the first 50 to be built. Subsequent cars had magneto ignition. A very long time ago I drove one as a daily driver. Just to give you a little background I have taken the attached photographs of the space around my desk. The trophies from our various expeditions to Europe with the Lagonda Rapier are in a different room.

If I can speak on behalf of OC jr 

SHE has far more important things to do.

I am amazed no one has mentioned the "R" word. I have probably owned more of these than any other marque. A sure sign of a mis-spent youth. This one a 1924 Side valve 11hp. Again rebuilt from a pile of absolute junk that no one with any brains would want to touch.