While many of the cars we feature here at Barn Finds are advertised as a result of a family member passing on and an estate being settled, every once in a while, we see cars being sold, reluctantly, by car buffs like us in the twilight of their lives. The sad realization that it is time to find a home for their cherished vehicle has led them to be proactive. That is the case for this 1949 Packard sedan. While we aren’t told exactly what model of the many offered by Packard in 1949, we do know that this luxury cruiser is in excellent shape for its age and needs a little work to get it back on the road. Having been in the seller’s possession for 56 years, this sale is less about the money and more about finding a good home for this Packard.
If you are looking for a postwar car that would make for a great traveling vehicle, then the Twenty Third series Packards of late 1949 and 1950 are great choices. In those years, Packard buyers could choose from five separate models. In order of luxuriousness, they were the Standard Eight, Deluxe Eight, Custom Eight, Super Eight, and Super Deluxe Eight. Sadly, the seller does not disclose what model this green Packard is. To make things more confusing, information from The Packard Club details that there was a changeover from the Twenty-Second series to the Twenty-Third series midway through the 1949 model year. The changes were slight but noticeable.
Given the similarities of this car to the 1949 Packard Fiftieth Anniversary model that was sold on Hemmings, it is reasonable to believe that the car featured here is one of the models made in the last half of 1949. These cars came equipped with Packard’s five-main bearing straight-eight engines. These powerplants were known for their low-end torque and silky smoothness. Packard also introduced its first automatic transmission, the Ultramatic, in 1949. Given that the seller tells us in the ad that the clutch is stuck to the flywheel on this car, this is obviously a manual transmission equipped car. Manual transmission cars also were equipped with an automatic overdrive that would make for very sedate highway cruising once you got up and running.
That ability to eat up road miles in silence and smoothness is why these Packards are still desirable automobiles to own. This fabled make still carried with it the company’s prewar reputation for quality. It was also considered to be Cadillac’s main competition. While a similar Cadillac of the era would sell today for a much higher figure, good examples of these Packards can be had for low five figures. They are often seen with a limited number of miles on the odometer, and you never hear of one being “worn out.” If you were looking for a car to go on tours with and/or travel long distances, these stately Packards are a great choice.
These attributes were likely why the seller purchased this Packard from the first owner in 1968. We are told that the car has been garaged ever since and that it is in very good condition. The windows and gauges all work, and the exterior chrome and interior materials are all in good shape except for some mohair damage on the driver’s side of the bench seat. The seller has begun what appears to be a partial mechanical refurbishment, with the front brake shoes, ignition wires, wheel cylinders, master cylinder, cooling hoses, battery, fuel pump, and a few other items being recently rebuilt or replaced. It has also been given a tune-up and the fluids taken care of.
The sad part of this sale is the seller’s admission that their health prevents them from getting this Packard back on the road. It will require a fuel system cleanout, a likely carburetor rebuild, and getting the clutch unstuck from the flywheel. However, they are emphatic about wanting to see the car back on the road again. So, if you fancy having one of the nicest luxury cars of the postwar period in your garage as a project, then you might want to contact the owner of this 1949 Packard for sale on Craigslist in Louisville, Colorado. Considering their sentimental attachment to this stately Packard, a good phone conversation and demonstrating the intention and ability to provide this beloved car a good home might go a long way towards making a sale.
Would you like to own a Packard like this one? Would it be the perfect car for long-distance touring? Have you ever driven a Packard? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.
Ask the PERSON that owns one, updated from that original man thing, and you’ll probably hear from me on posts that have Packards, Jeeps, trucks, or anything by Scotty G. I believe ours, seen on FB recently, had sold, probably for about the same money. The serial number would indicate the model, of which they had a few. It, like ours, looks like a pretty basic “Standard or Super 8” and quick correction, the O/D was manually engaged. What isn’t mentioned, is if it has the “Electromatic” vacuum clutch. Seemed O/D and that were a package, an engine view would confirm the gizmo. Clutch stuck? Easy fix, but again, the automatic would just be a better sell. Ours had the Ultramatic, introduced LATE ’49, as our ’50 was supposedly the 1st year, and I’m sure helped with the sale. A great find regardless, and if you and the other patrons at the gas station can put up with that annoying whistle while fueling, the next owner will find out in about 7 minutes,( after engaging O/D) what all the Packard hub-bub was all about. Call me partial, but with Packards history, I felt, as my grandfather did in 1948, who bought a new Custom 8) it was the best American car made.
I suppose that’s the beauty of being old,you can make a mistake and younger viewers won’t catch it. The overdrive was not mechanically engaged with a pull cable, it had an electric motor via a switch under the dash to engage it.
Perhaps someone knows how to rotate an image, if not you can still make it out. This is the bill of sale from my grandfathers ’48, let’s see if this works.
Well, it worked for some reason, and here is my grandfather next to it. He was very proud of that car, and a hefty sum for a mere furniture upholsterer. He may have had other “connections” we never knew about.
Sorry, that one didn’t turn, oh well.
It needs wide whitewalls badly. The narrow ones are from the 1960’s. This attempt to save money on the correct tires makes me question other maintenance about the car. This generation of Packard led to the downfall of the company. A brand new design should have been offered. GM, Ford did. Packard had the money to do it too. Anytime a new automobile is referred to as ‘pregnant’ by so many is a very bad sign. And I agree. This generation looked bloated. Cadillac appeared futuristic and thus pacesetting. Too many bad decisions killed Packard and this car represents one of them. People smirked when someone said they bought a new Packard. I can see why. And then there was the guy who tried to revive Packard with an updated version of this design. It was so ugly. He failed too!
“clutch stuck to flywheel” … technical description
What a beautiful car , great color too . If I was closer I would buy it and get it back on the road ASAP . I am a retired Automechanic and still have my own shop . I taught Automotive Technology at a community College for 20 years . I specialized in Carburetors and Fuel Injection and Tune up . I also rebuilt many many transmissions . I am beyond fussy when I work on everything . Would love to have that beautiful Packard . I wonder what shipping would be from you to the Main / New Brunswick Border . ?
Kudos to the seller for keeping this PACKARD in such overall great condition. But more importantly, the desire to see it go to a new owner who will appreciate it and cherish it! 👍 In today’s world, it is truly a rare occasion when sentiment prevails over money. For some of us, a cherished car is a member of the family.
For you younger guys, the 49-50 PACKARD was frequently referred to as a Pregnant Elephant (due to body style), while the 49-50m NASH Airflite (similar in style) was called the Upside down 🛁. With recent car styling, it seems just a little bit of history repeating! But I’ll take the NASH or PACKARD over any new POS 🤔. First family car I remember was a 50 NASH AMBASSADOR. Unfortunately both NASH and PACKARD have long since been discontinued, like so many others.
Agreed Rick , Packard had much more quality and longevity and much better engineered
I do not see a blanket rope (?) on the back of the front seat. Even the less expensive models had one. Our ’52 200 had one and it was the cheapest Packard you could buy!
Packard was a great company even though they did not keep up with cadillac like styling, v-8 etc. Now as far as performance their straight 8’s were second to none or bulletproof! Great road cars! The Studebaker merger was not a good move!
Packard , better quality than a Cadillac , not as stylish but certainly better quality . Studebaker cars were nice but the company had a weak management team . Packard’s balance sheet and executive team were very strong . I still would love to have that Packard , indeed a beautiful ,one of a kind .
I learned to drive on a Packard exactly like this one except it was black. My Father bought it new in January, 1950 and it was a 1950 model. It had the straight shift with overdrive and an automatic clutch that didn’t require useage to shift back into low gear. My Father left his wallet somewhere and we were going back to find it about 15 miles away. I remember he was driving 90 miles and hour and wasn’t utilizing overdrive. It think the tailights were different on the 1949 models.
I believe 1948 was the last year for the square tail lights, 1949 changed to the oval ones.
Would love to hear the opinion of our resident Packard (and many others) guru Bill McCoskey. Haven’t seen a post from him in some time. Hope he is doing well.
I am wondering how to bid or purchase
Douglas, just click on the red craigslist link in the write-up above, then hit reply on the ad.