In the early days of automotive history, it was common practice to purchase a chassis and body separately. This made it easy to customize and build larger vehicles like hearses, ambulances, buses, and firetrucks. But this is a new one – a customized car built for preaching! This 1925 Packard Standard Eight is an extremely unique find, and is up for sale here on eBay in Terrebonne, Oregon. The reserve hasn’t been met yet, but there is a buy-it-now option for $15,000. Thank you to Peter R. for this cool tip.

This is definitely a one-of-a-kind car! Well, 3-of-a-kind technically, since 3 were built for the Apostolic Faith Church in Portland. But this is the only one that remains. It was built with a platform on the back that could be used for transporting church groups around town. It appears that this church would frequently go to parks and major city streets, then preach to the people nearby.

Interestingly enough, this car was also listed back in 2015 on Hemmings Classifieds, but I don’t believe it ever was sold. The $55,000 price tag back then probably had something to do with it.  However, it appears that some work has been done since then to get the engine running, and the seller says it’s quiet, smooth, and smoke-free. Between the eBay listing and the Hemmings article there are also some cool era photographs and a bit of history. In the comments sections you can even read some anecdotal stories from people who remember seeing the car back the in the 1940s and 1950s.

The car was stored starting in the 1960s, but the seller says some bodywork has been done and all the pieces are still present. From the photos, no rust is visible and even the woodwork for the custom body looks to still be in excellent shape. If it was stored indoors, that played a huge role in the preservation of both the body and the engine. As mentioned, the engine is running now, thanks to the help of the seller’s mechanic friend. We are told the engine ran for only 2 minutes, which probably means the cooling system isn’t working. But that is one large straight-eight engine, and since it’s a Packard you know it is going to be a smooth-running powerplant.

The interior looks to be mostly complete. The cab bench seat is missing (although perhaps it’s included with the other parts) and the rear benches need to be recovered. The hole in the dash is for the starter switch which the seller has rebuilt but not installed. Overall, this is a solid restoration candidate.