In 1936, the National Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its first five members. Amongst those individuals was Christy Mathewson, and sadly, he was also the first member to be inducted posthumously. “Big Six” played 17 seasons with the New York Giants, and such was his impact upon not only the game of baseball but the American sporting psyche, that Packard saw fit to award his widow this Packard Deluxe Eight Club Sedan in 1949 in recognition of his achievements. Mrs. Mathewson retained ownership of the Packard up until she passed away in 1967. The car has since passed through the hands of several meticulous owners, but the time has come for it to once again head off to a new home. It is located in Houston, Texas, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Packard has reached $9,900, but the reserve hasn’t been met. There is also a BIN option available, and this has been set at $28,000.
The Packard is finished in Coronet Blue Poly, and it really is a stunning car. It is hard to spot any flaws on the car’s exterior. The vehicle had no history of accident damage, but the owner says that the original paint was looking tired. As a result, all trim items were removed, and the Packard was treated to a full repaint in its original color. The paint now has a beautiful depth of shine, while there are no signs of any dings or dents. The trim and chrome appear to be faultless, while the original glass is free from any obvious scratches, chips, or cracks. The Packard is a rust-free vehicle, with the frame and the underside still wearing its original factory undercoat. When the owner chose to replace the carpet, the floors and the trunk also received a repaint to help the vehicle to maintain this status. Apart from donating the car to Mrs. Mathewson, the company and the dealer loaded it up with optional extras. These items include the “Goddess of Speed” hood ornament, door-mounted exterior mirrors, fog lights, stainless steel trim rings on the wheels, hubcap medallions, rear fender skirts, back-up lights, and a window-mounted vent shade set. This latter option is quite a rare one, and the set does appear to be in very nice condition.
The owner doesn’t provide any overall photos of the Packard’s interior, but the detailed photos that he provides paint a pretty impressive picture. The original carpet has been replaced with square-weave wool, while it appears that the seat covers might also have been replaced. The door trims look to be in nice condition, while the headliner is said to be perfect. All of the trim and plated components shine beautifully, with no signs of any pitting or deterioration. The star of the show has to be the timber trim on the door caps, the window surrounds, and the dash. This hasn’t aged at all throughout the past 71-years, with no signs of any cracks or wear in the finish. The optional extras didn’t stop on the outside of the Packard, because the interior was treated to a push-button tube AM radio, a tinted and tilt anti-glare rearview mirror, a deluxe ivory steering wheel, courtesy lights, turn signals, a cigar lighter, an ashtray, a trip odometer, along with a heater and defroster. As an added bonus, everything inside the vehicle is said to work exactly as it should.
Powering the Packard is the 288ci flathead straight-8 engine, producing 135hp. This is hooked to a 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive. The vehicle has traveled a genuine 28,331 miles, and it would appear that the owner holds documentation to verify this. The car is a numbers-matching classic, and it has recently been treated to some mechanical TLC to keep it running and driving well. This work has included the fuel tank being cleaned and sealed, while the rest of the fuel system has been rebuilt. The cooling system has been treated to a full rebuild, as have the brakes. The oil pan did have a leaking gasket, so the gasket has been replaced to address that problem. The owner claims that every aspect of the Packard operates exactly as it would have when it was new. A really nice score is the fact that the owner managed to locate the original teletype Build Order Sheets from the glove compartment and the fuel tank, and these are included in the sale.
When it comes to classic cars, I tend to be a bit careful about speculating on how much the value could potentially be impacted if that particular vehicle has counted somebody famous amongst its owners. This 1949 Packard hasn’t had a famous owner, but it does have a very interesting back-story. Treating it as an unmolested and largely original vehicle without any potential famous connections, there can be no arguing that it is an impressive car. The owner states that only 3,375 examples of the Deluxe Eight Club Sedan were produced in 1949, which would seem to gel with the figures that I have been able to find. That means that these are not a car that will come onto the market very often. When they do, really good examples will generally sell for somewhere in the vicinity of $30,000. That means that if we ignore the possible historical connections with this car, the BIN price still looks to be very competitive. If you are a true baseball enthusiast, then maybe the back-story will make it an even more attractive proposition. What do you think?
Sigh, here we go again. Thanks Adam for another “give that knife a turn” post,,no, no, it’s ok, it’s why I tune in. Better to have had and lost,blah, blah. My grandfather bought a brand new 4 door Custom 8 in 1948. He paid $2808 cash.( over $30 GRAND today) My grandfather never went to war, something he truly missed, and had money. We think he bought the Packard to be patriotic for Packards input to the war. Our 1950 Packard, that was bought in memory of my grandpa, who died in 1980 and never saw it. was this same color, only a 4 door. Mine was the 1st year for automatic trans. I’m not a baseball nut, so don’t really care about the story, owner seems to think that adds thousands. Not sure about that, but what a find. It’s rare, 80% were probably 4 doors, not an overly heavily optioned car, doesn’t have the Cormorant hood ornament, an $18 accessory in 1948 almost $200 BUCKS today, one of the few options my grandpa had( the one shown was the “cheapie”) and no “Electromatic Clutch”, from what I see. It would be a vacuum unit below the air cleaner. Grandpas had that, my dad said it worked well. Neat feature on these, the needles and numbers on the gauges were that green glowing material, like watches had, and a black light, and all you saw at night was needles and numbers. Pretty cool. Who knows how many workers died from working with that stuff. 2 door aside, some are put off by the styling, but I can say from experience, and as the politically incorrect saying went, “Ask the man who owns(ed) one”, and you can ask me. It was no Ford, and Gramps knew what to buy. Thanks for the memories, BF and Adam, hope I didn’t bore you alls with my stories. It’s what old men do at midnight, apparently.
I appreciate the feedback Howard A. It’s always nice to get some insight like the ones that you have provided. I agree with you on one point, which is why I tend to try to leave the “celebrity factor” out of the equation when I am assessing potential values. I know that there will be readers who will see that it adds value, while others will feel that it makes little difference. If someone does feel that it adds value and is willing to buy the car, then I will always respect their view. Thank you once again.
Great reminiscences, Howard. My Uncle Fred wanted a new Packard after the war. He bought a ’46 and, upon delivery, it had wooden planks for front and rear bumpers due to material shortages. The local dealer installed the plated bumpers about 6 months later.
I saw this and knew beyond a doubt that you would be commenting. It’s always a sad thing to sell a beloved car then see facsimiles show up from time to time. I think that about ’69 Chevelles and Harley Davidson motorcycles, not to mention a BSA and a Norton. Sometimes memories are all you have, but they’re still memories…
Wow. What a glorious automobile. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…
Ohhhh if I didn’t just buy my AMC Pacer. What a fantastic odd ball car that Packard is.
Very cool car. The condition is outstanding and one has to wonder if it’s been restored.
Just beautiful.
Perfect vehicle to chop the top, drop in an LS, a add bags to make it a low-rider …!! I’m in 😉
I certainly hope that you’re being sarcastic!!!!
Of course he’s being sarcastic, this thing deserves nothing less than a Hemi.
No.
The repaint is unfortunate. There’s something magical about a preserved, original Packard, even if the paint is tired.
Howard, keep ’em coming! One of the great things about Bf is the stories and the humor/ learning you get from them. Interesting about the glowing numbers on the gauges. There is a book out called “radium Girls’ that tells all about the industry, and brutally describes the fallout from the radium, and the indifference of the company owners. All about the $$. Somethings never change! Stay safe.
Cheers
GPC
Stunning. I had a 55 Patrician Sedan and loved it. I’d buy this in a minute and find a hood ornament for it by joining the Packard Owners Club, give it what it needs and hit the road on a beautiful Spring Day after shut down here.
All of you stay well.
We still have grandpas hood ornament. After it graced our car, when we sold it, the Cormorant came off, even though the new buyer asked about it. I saw one at a swap meet few years back for $300 BUCKS! It graces my brothers fireplace mantle now.
Parkard’s ill-timed, unfortunate restyle. They should have stayed with the 1942 Clipper style and spent the money on power-train development such as an OHV V-8 and an automatic transmission. By the time the had those figured out they could have made better informed styling choices and skipped this entire styling iteration.
Was this because there was no new, young talent with fresh ideas and vision in the upper management? Wasn’t John DeLorean at Packard around then? Maybe he came a little later.
It is a Packard but I can’t see a young person wanting one back in the day. Packard was marketing to its aging and dwindling customer base. They blew the opportunity to reinvent themselves as a modern automobile manufacturer selling to younger folks.
Packard’s gift to Christy Mathewson’s widow was a lovely thing to do but Mathewson last pitched in 1916 and died in 1925. Packard’s vision was looking straight back into the past. If they wanted to create some sensation with a give-away they might have given one to Ted Williams or Jackie Robinson. Or Mrs. Babe Ruth or Eddie Waitkus or Harry Agganis’ mother.
Paolo,
Having owned dozens of 1948 to 1950 Packards, from sedans to limousines, and the current owner of a 1948 Super Eight Convertible, I have to point out what the public thought of these cars when they were new.
A 1948 Convertible was exhibited in the NYC Museum of Modern Art [MOMO].
If I’m not mistaken, the 1948 Packards took 1st place in all of the major automotive styling awards, not just 1 or 2, but all 8. [This is based on the company’s own advertising in 1948.]
The 22nd [1948-49] Packard production run was one of the best the company ever had.
There were very few “slab sided” car bodies in 1948, that “advanced” design element was very popular at the time. Problem was the design, like the bullet-nosed Studebaker, became rather dated within a couple of years.
As for young people wanting a Packard when they were new, across America in every small town, there were plenty of young boys who longed to own a Packard some day. In 1948 it was more about prestige than performance.
Over the last 45 years of owning Packards, when I’ve shown my 1948-50 Packards, I’ve had plenty of comments from the public. One of the more common comments concerns a young man’s desire to own one. “Always wanted a Packard.”
And as far as I know, there was no connection between John Z. DeLorean and Packard.
In 2015 the Cable TV show “Full Custom Garage” took this same 2-door body style Packard and sectioned and chopped it among other custom touches. Difficult to do but the end product looked fantastic, better than any Merc lead sled I’ve seen. In the late 1960’s I owned the more common 1948 Packard 4-door sedan. As Howard A. mentioned, the best feature was the glowing dash gauge needles with purple back lighting. Truly an automotive “Magic Carpet Ride” delivering a period correct semi-psychedelic driving experience!
21 hours left and it’s at $20k…sigh…
Don’t ask me why, but these Packard’s always reminded me of elephants.
18.5 hours left, bid at 20K with no indication of a reserve(so maybe met?) Going to a new home? Wish it was mine… snif
My neighbor had one of these Packards back in the 60s , what a smooth and quiet car . True story he traded it for an Edsel , now that’s another story !!
How can such an ugly car look so beautiful
For some reason, my comment on DeLorean won’t take. He did work for Packard from ’54 to ’56 when he went to Pontiac.
Really beautiful car and a great back story on it!!! Nice write up!!!
Looks like it didn’t sell… at $20 K
Really too bad.. that is a super value, unfortunately at this point in time.. people are hanging on to their $$$
It is a buyer’s market !!
The link now shows sold, what a great deal for a beautiful car!
Had a 23 series base model 4 door back in the late ’70s. Enormous land barge. Can’t remember what I paid for it, but less than a grand. Did 0-60 in about 5 minutes, but great smooth highway cruiser. Don’t think I’ve owned another car that went through as much fuel.