“Summer Dresses – Mrs. Payne” adorns the removable travel trunk of this stately phaeton. That simple phrase punctuates the rarified air of Packard ownership during the brand’s high water years. The 1930 Packard Deluxe Eight Dual Cowl Phaeton in Astoria, New York turns heads in any setting, most remarkably for its original finishes including most paint and mechanicals, according to the seller. Detailed documentation begins in the 1960s, leaving some leaps of faith regarding the car’s first three decades. Offered on eBay Classifieds, the Preservation Class contender and claimed FIVA Award winner can find a place of honor in your car barn for the price of $189,500.
Though not perfect, after a “believed” original 15,628 miles over some 93 years, the original dashboard and factory leather look amazingly serviceable. Whether intentional or the result of alternate priorities, credit the car’s owners of the last fifty years for NOT subjecting this unique time capsule to replacement and refinishing that would have erased its tangible links to the past. Any restoration is an approximation of what can be seen and felt on a gently preserved original.
The folding rack seen here holds the aforementioned summer dress trunk, suggesting the Packard played a seasonal role for its moneyed family. By 1930 the Great Depression rendered stock market gamblers largely ruined, leaving great wealth mostly in the coffers of old money dynasties and industry moguls. Though not well-shown here, a folding windscreen behind the front row seats completes the “dual cowl.” Check out this feature and more in the 7-40 Custom Eight brochure here on PackardInfo.com.
Packard’s superbly-engineered straight eight-cylinder engines shown like artistic masterpieces beneath the jewel box of the Dietrich-bodied hood.
This view shows a practical view of the side curtains installed. Much like water-going pleasure craft, these land schooners were mostly enjoyed on sunny days, with the curtains providing emergency protection from the weather as you beat a hasty retreat to your summer house. After escaping an unplanned shower, you could joke about your bad luck with the weather over brandy and cigars. Do you think this Packard will avoid restoration for another 93 years?
What a car, and a great write-up as always, Todd! This was quite an era and I can hardly think of a more appropriate place name for this car than Astoria. Although it’s in Queens, the name Astoria suggests the well-heeled, born-rich folks of that era, the ones who knew that the crash of ’29 was something that happened to lesser and/or less-fortunate folks. Maybe the original owner was driven to their Fifth Avenue office in this car and they used it to travel to their Hudson River Valley “cottage” (i.e., 24,500-sf mansion). I don’t even know what the modern equivalent car would be, a Bentley or Rolls-Royce maybe? What a beautiful car, and it’s fun to think about its history.
I’m not an expert on these “full classics”, but the small car show I no longer attend in my little town, some guy from 2 towns over, USED to bring a car very similar to this. Last year I didn’t attend due to the types of cars, 2 years ago, he wasn’t there, 3 years ago, he said it was probably his last show, and he meant it. While it naturally got curious onlookers, I was the ONLY ONE, that asked if we could see the motor. Pictures don’t do it justice, but it looked like something that powered a semi. The whole car was huge, and the guy even admitted, it’s a handful to drive, and naturally, on something like this, paranoia of some punk texting will run into you, pretty much puts the kabosh on these cars. For 1930, it looked surprisingly modern, but even I would be a bit intimidated driving this.
Thanks for your comments, Howard. That local Packard sounds like a site to behold. I hope someone is enjoying it somewhere. I’ve never seen a Packard of this stature up close, but even the less stately Packards of the later ’30s are bigger than they look. If you compared photographs of a Packard 110 and a Ford or Chevy you’d think they are similarly sized, but in person you realize the Packard is enlarged by 20%. I have seen a Duesenberg of this vintage in person and it was jaw-dropping. It was on an open trailer, and by the time the owner was done with his fill-up, a crowd of wide-eyed onlookers was bombing him with questions. You’re right to have a practical fear of distracted drivers, too. The future may hold some hope there. Virginia Tech and others are working on systems that will stop your car for a red light even if you don’t, and other ways of combating the stupid choices of careless drivers. I love the safety feature commercials of the last few years where the car brakes for itself and the family has a laugh. “It’s funny when Mommy almost kills a pedestrian five times a week. Good thing we have a Subaru!” Happy motoring!
Hi Todd, we’re in the same gear on that one. We have to invent gizmos to save us from the other gizmos. The “collision avoidance” commercial, where the guy turns around to look at the daughters phone, and they are all horrified when the “system” kicks in. That is the stupidest thing one can do, and they make it seem like the norm. Since we’re talking road safety, the “multi-car pileups”, that plague our roads every winter, is a stark reminder how disconnected we have become from driving. The cars can bump into one another with no real concern, it’s the trucks that come barreling into these backups that do the most damage. As a truck driver for 35 years, I never recall anything like that happening. Maybe a fender bender, but not these horrific crashes like today. Truck drivers operate under a different set of rules than years ago, I won’t go into it all here, but the rules meant to have safer drivers, are actually to blame. I tell everyone I know, in a backup, especially near the back, be ready to get out and run.
Howard,
Years ago when I was younger and had the energy to drive such massive vehicles, but not the money needed to own one, I used to offer to clean their car, then drive elderly owners to the car shows in their cars. In doing so, I’ve had the thrill of driving such cars as a Packard 12 convertible coupe, Bugatti type 57 Atlante coupe, Tatra T87 V8, and many more.
One time I drove a pre-WW2 Rolls-Royce Phantom II limousine while the owner and his wife sat in the back, and she suddenly exclaimed that it was the first time the 2 of them had attended a car show and ridden in the back seat together!
Genius idea.
Howard A. I bet he got a shock when you asked to see the motor. Did you think it was an early electric vehicle?Because all petrol powered vehicles have an engine not a motor.
Hello Wayne from Oz. Boy; I haven’t heard your argument in a while, and it surfaces from time to time. Changing the world’s opinion on the matter could be an interesting and all-consuming hobby for you and the eight other people on the planet who agree with you. It may hold water in a contemporary Engineering world, or perhaps in Oz, but it’s at odds with the fact that “motor” dates back to well before humans developed a practical use for electricity. Also, literally as defined…
Motor From Latin mōtō (“I set in motion”).
1. A machine or device that converts other energy forms into mechanical energy, or imparts motion.
2. (colloquial) A motor car, or automobile, even a goods vehicle.
3. (figuratively) A source of power for something; an inspiration; a driving force.
Synonyms: engine
Another fun and time-consuming hobby would be to find everywhere the misspelling “gage” has been normalized and insist that it be spelled as Gauge. Keep us posted. All kidding aside, thanks for prompting this interesting discussion. Your comments are always welcome. Happy Motoring!
Beautiful.
What is the wheelbase on this toboggan?
Hello MattR. If I’m reading things right it would be 140.5 inches, about the same as a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo Van, 10 inches longer than a single-cab pickup with an 8 ft bed, and 7 inches longer than a Mercedes-Maybach S580. Wow!
The Deluxe Eights rode on a 145.5 inch wheelbase. The Custom Eights rode on a 140.5 wheelbase. These things seem as big as locomotives compared to ordinary cars!
In our Harrahs museum visits in the ’70s we got to look at the huge amount of big cars like this he had on display. The tonnage number must have been impressive. As a kid I got to drive my after school job boss’s Ruxton two passenger roadster that was almost as long as this car. Straight 8 front wheel drive and drove like a locomotive off the tracks.
Wow! Just Wow! I bet this thing weighs at least 4 tons. One of Dad’s
friends was a car collector in the ’60s
And being the young motorhead I was,. I went with him any chance I got
just to see his cars and those of other
collectors who would often show up
at his house for cup of coffee and a
chance to shoot the breeze. One day,
this guy shows up driving a ’34 Deusenberg SJ dual cowl phaeton!
He was taking the Duesy on a shake
down cruise when he stopped at Mr.
Bittner’s house just to say hi! What a
treat it was to see one of these cars
in person. That treat was made even
sweeter when he let me climb inside
and sit in it! That car was HUUUGE!
And that day was made even better
when he took me for a ride in it as he
drove down to the gas station for a
couple of packs of smokes. I was 13
then and to this day, I can remember
it as though it were yesterday. Oh sure, I often got to ride in one of Mr.
Bittner’s Pierce Arrows, but nothing
made a bigger impression on me than
that mighty Duesenberg. Gonna add
these photos to my file of potential
old car portraits. If I didn’t have a
a customer’s order on my work bench
right now, I’d be drawing this car right
now!
Kenneth,
When I was a child growing up in the small town of Kensington, MD, the local car repair shop’s owner had a early Duesenberg J town car [Murphy body] that he kept in a separate area. It was all original and while a little tired looking, it ran beautifully.
The owner knew I was crazy about the Duesy. When my parents would go into town, I would get them to drop me off at the garage, and the owner would allow me to sit in the car. He also knew I wanted, above all else, to some day drive the Duesy. One day, now that I had my learner’s permit, he said that when I had an actual driver’s license, he would let me drive his car around his shop’s storage lot.
The very day I got that license, I showed up at his shop, proudly showing him the permit. I will always remember a brief but thrilling drive in that Duesenberg J town car. I’ve kept track of the VIN for the car, and the current owners are aware of the impact that car had on a young gear head.
I love the style of these cars, and even though I wasn’t even a thought in 1930, I sure loved them when I saw them as a kid and thought whoever owned a car like this had to be one of the luckiest people in the world.
Incredible Classic !! I believe I have the correct Packard trunk for the 1930-1931. It appears this beauty is ” trunkless “.
My father would have been 8 when this car was new. his parents were poor, and lived in Stonington borough , CT. an area with no money ( oddly now, much of the buildings are the same, but now its a desirable place to live ). His parents would send him to his cousins house in Newport, RI. to spend his summers there. My father used to tell me how he and his cousins would walk by all the mansions there and look through the gates. Its still hard for me to imagine a time when these were the kind of cars he was seeing driving around that area
Incredible Packard classic !! I believe I have the original Packard trunk for this 1930 car.
This era and model Packard certainly was the height of automotive transportation. The factory workers at the Packard assembly plant we’re so proud of rolling these works of art off the line. Competitors such as Cadillac, Duisenberg, Rolls Royce, Bentley, just to name a few, we’re rolling through the streets around “millionaires rows” in the big cities and big bucks playgrounds from Newport Rhode Island to Hollywood. During the early 1980’s the US Navy stationed me and my family there. Through one of my shipmates I was introduced to a dentist who had a barn full of old Packard, one of which was used in the 1974 filming of The Great Gadsby. That dentist was well along in age, I would guess he was one of the most dedicated automobile aficionados. He had a library of published auto materials and a host of “Glidden Tours” films. To this day I wonder what became of his lovely collection.
Such a grand automobile let down by it’s nondescript dash.
Solo, I could live with the dash, but that shifter lever (not the knob) would drive me nuts until I painted it. Even if doing that would devalue the car a few grand.
Years ago I was working on a Franklin that was 99.9% original. everything in the driver’s area was really nice, but the shifter looked like the one on this Packard. He asked me what I felt could be done to improve it’s look, and after some deep thinking, I came up with the solution.
Removing the shift knob, I cut a long strip of black shrink tubing and slid it over the shifter, then used a heat gun to shrink it down until it was a satin black tight fitting cover, thereby not making any irreversible changes. It looked great, and as it was a tapered shaft, if a future buyer wanted to remove it, all they had to do was unscrew the knob and slide the cover off.
370. I would have painted the gear shifter lever the day I acquired the car as I couldn’t live with it as it is!
All I can think is it Looks like the anthill mob should be hanging out of it.
This is a steal. Where else can you find anything even remotely comparable? If my friend Scott Grundfor worked on it, the drivetrain will be right, and he’s around to answer questions about the car.
Craig, you might be right about that. On The Wacky Races, the Ant Hill did
indeed drive a car loosely based on
a Packard. But you’ve got to look really close to see it. On the spin off
series, their ride of choice was a bit
more cartoonish. I think the car in the
Wacky Races was based on a ’29 or
’30 model. Might even be a ’31. You
must be as old as I am as I haven’t
seen the show since it was on Boomerang 25 years ago.
If the house pictured in the background is being sold along with the car in a package deal, I’ll take them both!
*please grant me a little time to win the MegaMillions first…
Packers of this era are beautiful and this car is no exception. Of all the cars on Barn Finds right now this is the one that I would buy if I had the money, right now I am off to by a couple of lottery tickets wish me luck.
Wow, what a car. Look at what most drive now. Then look at this. lol
Keep the onboard maps for those that can’t find North/South/West/East
Keep the phones to play with while driving.
Give me one of these and a Fedora & a Tommy Gun !
You had me at “Summer Dresses”…
Todd, thanks for your comment and opinion, very much appreciated. Cheers Wayne