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Pseudo Wagon: 1948 Packard Station Sedan

1948-packard-station-sedan

Some wouldn’t consider this 1948 Packard Station Sedan to be a true Woodie wagon, but it looks like a Woodie wagon to us. The seller claims it is original and it looks to be in excellent condition. Finding a solid woody wagon without rust or rot can be a challenge, but thankfully there are still a few original examples out there like this one that are solid. It spent the past 35 years parked in a barn on an almond farm, but is now back on the street. Take a look at this pseudo wagon here on eBay.

1948-packard-station-sedan-side-view

The Packard Station Sedan was born during one of history’s most interesting periods of automotive design. After WWII had ended, people were trying to return back to normal life and that typically meant getting married and starting a family. Many of the men that returned home however, had gained a new sense of adventure, so when these two worlds collided, it created the need for a car that could haul the family and go on adventures. This gave birth to the Woodie Wagon. It was practical, yet fashionable and versatile. Packard saw the potential of the wagon, but lacked the resources to create a full scale station wagon development program, so they created the Station Sedan.

1948-packard-station-sedan-woodie

It offered the best features of a station wagon, but was based on the existing Packard 22nd Series sedan. To create it, they took wood panels and inserted them into the steel structure to create a wagon shape. Under the hood was Packard’s 288 cui straight eight, putting out about 130 horsepower. The seller claims the engine is running great and that interior is in good shape. This one has light patina, but most importantly its wood work looks great. It will need some work on the inside, but the mechanical systems are working great and it’s ready to be enjoyed. Do you think the seller’s asking price of $36k is on target or way off?

Comments

  1. Avatar CJ

    Looks a good price to me or such a rare and unusual model, wish I had the $$ to buy it.

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  2. Avatar Lemble

    Should bring that much.
    On the plus side how many others have you seen.

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  3. Avatar Leon

    Wow! I’ve never seen another!

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  4. Avatar trickie dickie Member

    Looks authentic to me! Yes, a good price. We have one of these in our old car club, dark forest green woodie in top shape and I know he paid a LOT more than this. That Packard straight eight is a good engine!

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  5. Avatar That Guy

    I doubt there’s a cleaner original example on the planet. $36K actually seems a bit of a bargain. The wood on the doors of these cars always looked crudely designed to me though, more like somebody’s home-build than a factory effort. But the rest of the car is really handsome and elegant, probably the best-looking Packard of this era.

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  6. Avatar Dolphin Member

    When I see these, especially in this color and condition, I think ‘Land Yacht’. Even the setting makes me think of yachts.

    I like wagons, but of all the wagons on BF lately this would be at the top of my list. Everything about this is terrific—the rounded body design, the wood that flows with the metal body, the wonderful Art Deco interior. There’s nothing I don’t like about it. Well….maybe a more modern engine design, but OTOH this is a straight-eight flathead, and how often do you see those?

    Best of luck to the seller…..wonderful presentation, and all the best to the buyer, who will have something he can truly enjoy for a long time for about the price of a modern upscale sedan, and then sell for twice or more what he paid.

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  7. Avatar scot

    ~ love ’48, ’49, ’50 Packards. not their very best but a favorite for me.

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  8. Avatar Don Andreina

    I know its a bathtub Packard and not a 48 Buick, but the price seems very good for ‘prestige’ woody wagon. Nice find Josh.

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  9. Avatar paul

    Tin woody’s are wonderful & this one is quite nice hell the bottom look’s nearly new, at 36G I would say great deal. When have you seen another one like it?

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  10. Avatar Mark E

    I owned a 1950 Packard coupe and belonged to the Packard club. I’ve seen both station sedans and station wagons and I prefer the sedans, just as a matter of taste. Also the 288 straight eight has the most delicious mellow sounding rumble of the engines offered in the ’48-50 models, in my opinion.

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  11. Avatar rancho bella

    I may be way of,f but 36K is a bargain. I’ve been around Woodies for decades and although tin with wood…….it is still such a darling. And so unusual.

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  12. Avatar ConservativesDefeated

    @scot:

    My first car at 16 was a 1949 Packard Ultramatic Sedan. Came out of my grandfathers garage as a lien sale. It looked like a two year old car and not a 21 years old as it was then. I paid 250.00 bucks for it…my Dad was a tough customer lol.

    In the middle eighties I saw one of these for sale at an East LA gas station $.3,000.00 !

    While not a “real” woodie in the sense that the body is metal, they are welcomed at Woodie shows like Wavecrest.

    By the way….refering to the copy above…wooden bodied wagons started out in the teens as Depot hacks and just about every manufacturer had one ,,,,way before WW II. The last all wood bodied American cars were done by 1950 more or less. Cant recall whether the Chrysler DeSoto “woodies” were wood over metal then like Ford was in 1951

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  13. Avatar Jim-Bob

    While this car costs as much as some houses in my neighborhood, I tend to think the Packard would be a better investment. For some reason, I really dig the styling of these Packards. Add to it that it’s a woodie wagon (with real wood-structural or not, that’s still cool!) and you can’t help but love it. At this price, it seems like a bargain since it’s a luxurious Packard, and not a more common brand like a Ford or a Chevy. Then again, I may be biased as I have always had a thing for post war (pre-Studebaker!) Packards and have always thought it would be neat to rebuild a bad one as a resto-rod.

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  14. Avatar aliean

    i would buy it duh !!@##%$%^^

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  15. Avatar 88R107

    Its a Woodie.
    Its a wagon.
    Its a Packard.
    Its a deal.

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  16. Avatar Badmotorfinger

    Sounds like a good deal to me. The perfect car to drive the length of route 66 and back.

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  17. Avatar rancho bella

    I cannot believe someone hasn’t purchased this.

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  18. Avatar Brad

    I love the era, admire Packards, love wagons, adore woodies… but I can’t do this.
    For *me* it’s awkward looking, the windows are all swooping and curving with different radii and angles, and the tacked-on appearance of the door panels (I know they’re factory) just make me shake my head every time.

    That said, the tailgate is its saving grace, and I hope it goes to a loving home. I just think it’s not a bad thing that this particular model is rare.

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  19. Avatar Charles

    That’s comparable to the prices that Packard sedans of the same era sell for, however the wagon is rare.

    Looks like a great buy to me and a whole lot of fun!

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  20. Avatar Carguy

    Pleased to report that my Packard-loving friend who keeps his toys in an old Packard dealership has purchased this car and it will be well cared for and driven in Nebraska.

    Like 0

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