My Dream Garage has two of these ’30s Packard coupes, one perfect factory specimen with the original silky-smooth straight eight, and one full Custom on something like an Art Morrison chassis with plenty of power, and ready to knock out a coast-to-coast drive in comfort. This 1935 Packard 120-A Rumble Seat Sport Coupe in Munster, Indiana may never land in the first category, but it’s a ringer for the second! Offered here on eBay with a Buy It Now of $9500, this once-luxurious coupe shows rust and dents but not to the point of wrecking my dream.
This view is where some ’30s coupes fall flat, but the Packard looks amazing from every angle. You could easily spend the Buy It Now price on chrome alone, but anything goes in the custom world. I wonder how vertical Escalade LEDs would look Frenched in on either side of the trunk lid?
During the Great Depression, Packard built cars for people who still had money, and that was barely anyone. This one’s lost its former luster, but still emulates an air of luxury and class beyond its peers.
The engine compartment pictures suggest a deep green that would look glorious on this rumble seat coupe. Without its famous inline eight-cylinder, this sporty 120 begs for ludicrous power, with handling and stopping to match. With a longer wheelbase (120 in) than a ’35 Ford (112), the Packard makes an impression. The larger Model 1201 used a full 135″ wheelbase for an even more impressive statement, something like “Stand aside, filthy beggars!” Check out this vintage photograph. Sorry; I had to wipe up some drool there. Back to reality! What’s your vision for this Packard’s next chapter?
The 120 Sport Coupe is very rare and differs from the Business Coupe in that it has a rumble seat. My Dad bought a 36 120 R/S Coupe (forward opening doors) in 1939 after he completed his 1st stint in the Navy. Dad claimed at 75 mph it ran like a top. He alternated between working at the Packard plant, and the Chrysler Jefferson plant – he’d get laid off from one, then get into the other. He sold the 36 when WW2 came along and the Navy came calling. He always assumed it probably ended up in the scrap drive. Happy New Year to all!
problem with the design of this beauty is the engine compartment is very narrow. I know of a friend who dropped a falcon 6 cyl in one, and it just fit. Might wanna get the old tape measure out before you drop the coin . Good luck to the new owner.
Cheers
GPC
This one will take some work but could be worth it to the right person. I don’t know their dimensions but wonder how one of the Ford EcoBoost drive trains would fit in this one. If it would, could be a good alternative to the usual transplant options.
I like it but don’t have the time or energy to consider it these days.
Nice start for someone to build a beautiful car.
I would find another infamous straight eight and keep this car bone stock,restored to show room quality. Please don’t hot rod it,new buyer.
Well….. Ok… Dig out the grease gun, WD40, Oil can, power washer, and start searching for a replacement inline engine. Its current visuals are a historical benchmark, illustrating its own story, thus make it a driver, preserve its patina, drive out the varmints,(no, they can’t drive) and have fun.
A MoPar slant six with some power adders would slide right in… for the over achievers…
I like the idea of the “leaning tower of power” Slant six. Cant get any more reliable than that. Not sure about the slant configuration fit wise. As I said, the falcon engine my friend used took up all the room.
Cheers
GPC
It should be a criminal offense to hot rod such a solid and rare car.
Why even mention “hot rod” for a rare Packard like this? Mr. Fitch isn’t really a collector car enthusiast.
So you’re going to spend $9.5K to chrome two bumpers and the grill? You need to change plating shops.
This is tough. I’m concerned about headlights and other issues. I didn’t read the ad, no time today. But eyeballing it I think you are North of $50,000.00 if the car is not a disaster underneath, at which point I would sadly walk away.
Be nice to put a inline 8 back in this old girl and start to bring this car back from the brink. But, that would take some time, maybe a lot of time. I think it would be worth it. On the other hand maybe a 292 chevy could fit, I don’t know, and than you can hotrod it any way you wish Later………………………JIMMY.
Having restored a 23rd series sedan I can safely say parts are plentiful for a complete restoration and would cost little more than a hot rod debacle, provided you have a good plating shop. My chrome came back full of pin holes. Imagine this car in sea foam green (or whatever Packard called that color) with light cream colored interior and a fully detailed engine compartment with an infamous straight eight. Sigh.
If your plan is to go bankrupt building a car, here’s your opportunity. Good luck to whoever takes this project on.
God bless America
I have to agree John especially if your looking for a concourse all in dead stock car. For me…. and bare in mind this is just my vision of this car, I’d strongly consider a cumins diesel of the 5.9 variety. Yes it would be a little louder than most would like but it would be ideal for pulling this big barge around besides there isn’t any sound better than an idling cumins. I’d strap a five speed behind it as well. It would likely need a tougher rear axle too to handle that torque. As for the body I’d do a drivers quality restoration and repaint in single stage gloss paint in original colours. If you could get a donor truck cheep enough you could transplant the whole drive line into this car. The chrome parts other than the bumpers for for the most part aren’t chrome. There stainless steel. That being said I would not chrome the bumpers I’d only nickel plate them that will match the stainless better and it’s cheaper. For the most part I’d have it looking stock the diesel would give it away though.
Hey Canada not sure you could shoehorn a cummins in this one; as I said its a real narrow eng compartment, and a friend of mine put a falcon 6 in a car that was made from a bunch of leftover parts. This swap took up the whole compartment with little room to spare. Tape measure first , eh. Good commentary.
Cheers
GPC
Hi gpc that’s why I thought of the cumins it’s a straight 6 engine too. And this engine bay had a straight 8 in it. The inter cooler might be a challenge though. My second choice would be a 300cid ford block or even a 292cid Chevy block.
Part of these postings and comments are people [typically men] dreaming and sharing dreams or memories. Those who wanted Hot Rods are divesting from the hobby. Those who want the classic 30’s cars have also divested from the hobby. So the value for this Packard will remain flat. To restore this you want the best possible starting point, for the best possible price. If anyone is serious. look around. Personally, a Packard needs dual side mounts to look important and luxurious. Here is one for less, with engine, and dual side mounts. https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/packard/120/2314041.html
Hard to know what to do with this!! So many missing parts to do a restoration but a narrow engine bay for a restomod!! I’ll leave this to someone else for a problem to figure out!!!
Anybody can run a blowtorch – but it takes guts to restore a car to original. It takes determination to preserve automotive history, and a genuine love and respect for the past. It takes a willingness to honor all the great automotive pioneers, the engineers, stylists, designers, and even line workers whose hearts and souls went into those early motoring classics.
It takes long research and patience to restore a car correctly. And there’s no greater feeling than to know you’ve done it right.
It takes no guts or imagination to restore a car.All you have to do is look in a book and do it like everybody else. To build a hot rod you have to have some imagination and design ability to build a proper looking and driving car.
Let’s all spread the word on this car amongst Packard folks and others in the preservationist community to help assure its return.
A 120 Coupe was my first car. Got it off a used car lot in Hyannis ,Mass. for $100. The car ran great and I drove it to college and then some until we moved to Florida. I sold it for $700 and have never seen it again. It had the dual spare tires in the front fenders and that was a very rare option for a Coupe. The straight 8 engine fit perfectly between the rails under that huge hood and there was plenty of room to work on it. Don’t know how accurate the speedo was but I put the needle at 95 one time and that was enough. It ran well at that speed but it was too fast for me at the time. Wish I still had it.