The owner of this 1949 Packard Custom Eight states that the car is not perfect, but it does appear to be in nice condition, and it has also had a substantial amount of work performed on it. The owner has now decided to sell it, and you will find the Packard listed for sale here on eBay. The Packard is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and is being sold with a clear title. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $9,210, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
The owner describes the paint as being 8 out of 10, but it still looks good in the photos. Some of the chrome is peeling, but it is essentially undamaged, so those parts, such as the front bumper, could quite easily be restored. I did notice that the driver’s side rear hubcap is missing, and I’m not really sure how difficult a replacement will be to source. However, there are a number of Packard car clubs across the country, and those organizations are usually a good place to look for such things.
The owner states that the interior has undergone a restoration, and is trimmed as it was originally. I wasn’t 100% sure about the seats, so I’ve done some research and can confirm that this is correct. It does present very well, and the dash and headliner are both in first class condition. I can see one small piece of warped trim just below the windshield, but it looks like it will be an easy fix.
Rear seat occupants certainly don’t miss out in this Packard. The seat looks fantastic, and the foot-rest on the floor is also a nice touch. Located in the back of the front seat is a pair of fold-out “jump seats,” providing a pair of extra seats. Mind you, they don’t look anywhere near as comfortable as the rear seat.
Under the hood is the original 356ci straight-eight engine. This is backed by a manual transmission, but I am unsure whether this is the 3-speed or the 4-speed overdrive transmission. What I can tell you is that both the engine and transmission have recently undergone a complete rebuild. The car is also sitting on new white wall tires, and the brakes and suspension have also been rebuilt. The seller states that the car runs, shifts, and brakes well.
Packard Custom Eight Limousines don’t come onto the market very often. I do know of two that have sold recently, but the prices have not been disclosed. As a result, I am forced to look elsewhere for potential values. NADA doesn’t list the car in its guide, but Hagerty does have it. They list a #2 car as being around $26,200. This is a nice car, but I don’t believe that it is in #1 condition. However, it doesn’t look like it will need much work to achieve that condition, and I really think that it would be worth it simply because this is an unusual and luxurious car.
That’s some machine!
Hope the next owner drives it regularly.
Would love to drive it and follow the seasons.
Was looking at buying one of these. Needed quite a bit of work. Even at that the engine in it was so quiet it glided down the road.
Was looking at parts availability and hubcaps are not a problem. Tires though seemed few and far between. These do weigh a bit.
$26k seems to be a good buy for such a car. I wasn’t able to park it on my property due to the length.
Very sharp looking vehicle. In the late 1960s I owned one that was a hearse.
Shifted poorly, but was in need of repair.
Almost didn’t get it. I asked my mom if I could buy it, she said, “ Don’t worry you’ll get to ride in one soon enough.”
I have bid on this several times, think I was high bidder a time or two but never met the reserve. Has been run through the auction several times. Great car but who knows what the guy wants for it.
Why don’t you just ask him what he wants? I will never buy a car on eBay without talking to the seller and if he won’t call me or give me his number, he’s not someone I want to do business with.
I am probably not going to be the high bidder on this car in any event. Transportation costs have gotten so high and it is a long way from Idaho. I will buy when the right one comes around. I just bought an Autocar with 53’ hydraulic trailer because it has been so difficult to move equipment around.
Dave,
Just so you realize, this isn’t a top-of-the-line Packard Custom Eight limo, but a Mid-range Super 8 Deluxe with the smaller 5 main bearing engine and shorter wheelbase [see my longer comment below.]
If it’s a Custom Eight, the serial number would start with 2350 or 2351
My bad, I forgot the only limousines for the 23rd series were the Super Deluxe cars, the Custom Eight LWB limo was dropped for that year. The serial number should start with 2370-5, denoting a 7-passenger sedan, likely from a funeral home.
It doesn’t have a division window so it can’t be a 2371-5
You’re right but also have 7″ longer in the front and have an egg crate grill.
Richard,
The 23rd series Super and Super Deluxe cars all had the 7″ longer front fenders & hood. Back in the late 1970s I owned a 23rd series Super sedan with the 327 engine and Ultramatic, and it was incredibly slow. I’ve never seen another example.
The Super Deluxe had the Custom Eight’s eggcrate grill and square textured wool broadcloth interior, still available in tan, green, blue, or maroon. The basic difference between the Super Deluxe and the Custom was the Custom had the 356 9-bearing engine with Ultramatic drive as standard, while the Super Deluxe used the 5-main bearing 327 engine. Ultramatic was optional.
The Super 8 had the larger main body of the eggcrate grill, but instead of the thin horizontal & vertical slats of the eggcrate, it had 3 horizontal downward curving slats that matched the lower 2 grill slats [but slightly smaller] that run from one side of the car to the other side. The interior upholstery was basically the same as the 22nd series grey striped cloth.
I’m including a photo of the cover for the rare 23rd series Super 8 and Super Deluxe brochure so you can see the difference. The 23rd Super 8 LWB cars [body styles 2380 & 2381] were actually never made, and the Super Deluxe LWB cars [body styles 2370 and 2371] are so rare [production was 2 examples of each], the Packard Club roster doesn’t even show any existing vehicles. There were no Custom Eight LWB cars built. [body styles 2350 & 2351]
Also forgot to mention this is a 22nd series car, and without the -9 in the serial number it’s a 1948 22nd series Deluxe Eight LWB car. [Probably sold in 1949, and registered as such.]
I do believe those are the wrong hubcaps for this year.
Correct. The only original one is the right front.
Upon closer inspection, you are right.
Those are the caps I remember being on a friends 1949 Packard Hearse that was all original back in 1985 that only had 49,000 miles on it.
What a beautiful black car that was and it even had hydraulic windows, in the front.
This is a very similar car, but the one my friend had, had a medium purple mohair interior.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/carphotosbyrichard/3272722225
How odd the car has roll up windows.
Fixed windows or “pull up” windows would be really odd and impractical.
Chinga, what I mean is that it has manual roll up windows when hydraulic windows was available on their cars.
You would think a limo would have the best they had to offer.
A lot of limo’s were “service” cars and not as fancy as one might think. They were owned by hotels, resorts, mortuaries and that sort of thing to move people from train stations or cemeteries. They wanted nice but not opulant.
Owned one in ’71. I paid $250 for it back
then. Mine was a ’50 model with an Ultra
Matic transmission and straight 8 engine.
Used it to carry all the guys in our band and pull a trailer behind it to carry our
gear. It was a great old car that ran really
well. As someone mentioned earlier, it
felt as though you were riding on a cloud.
First thing I did after buying it was to
rebuild the engine and have the tranny
serviced. Only difference between this
car and mine was the grillework and the
lower side trim that was 2 strips instead
of just one. My car had no rust on it, but
it had been sideswiped. All I had to do
was to repair the body and stainless
steel trim along the bottom of the car.
Dad was worried about my getting
replacement parts but thanks to an old
auto parts dealer, I had no trouble at all
finding what I needed to keep it running.
Wound up selling it on to a Packard buff
for $1500 to finish my toasted Jaguar
sedan that needed a 350 to finish it out.
Sure wish I had it back today.
Great story.
Mr. CARNEY- Did you ever park it in a standard garage? How long is this behemoth? Like the idea of a transport for a band. Architects refer to BEST USE for old/unoccupied buildings. I like to think of old cars the same way.
Back in 1960, a local funeral home got a new fleet of Cadillacs. They had THREE of these for sale, all in probably #1 condition, and very low mileage, less than 25,000 on them all. They were asking just $350 for each one. Had we only known then, huh?
up to 12 large, Sure could have some fun with this. Nice driver. Good luck to the new owner. Guess the guy won’t give out his reserve. If I’m serious I usually ask what the reserve is to see if the car is in my price range, some will give it, Also depends how bad he really wants to sell!!!
Cheers
GPC
I know this body style was not a hit at the time, but these cars exude a type of elegance that is hard to match. To drive a car with that kind of room would be wonderful. Being 6′ 3″, and 300+, I don’t fit in many cars. To have that kind of head, hip, and leg room wouldn’t be hard to live with. I have owned a Pinto, Honda CRX, and a Corvette. Driving those vehicles was like putting ten pounds of sh*t in a 5 pound can. I would love to have one of these.
I love it. I would not change anything but the oil.
I don’t think this is a 356. I believe, 327’s and 356’s had “Thunderbolt” on the cylinder head. This is probably the 288, like mine was. It’s a 3 speed, and may or may not have O/D, actuated electrically by a switch on the dash. It does NOT have the electromatic clutch, and for a limo, isn’t really that fancy. I sure enjoyed mine.
Howard, You’re on the right track, this is NOT a 356, as it won’t fit in the shorter front end [shorter by 7″]. The reason I know for sure this car is NOT A Custom Eight Limo, it’s a Super 8 Deluxe, is because of the short front end sheet metal.
I’ve owned about a dozen long wheelbase Packards from 1938 to 1954, and I know them very well. I’ve had 2 of these very cars as pictured here.
The Super 8 Deluxe came with the shorter wheelbase [instead of 148 it was 141], and the grill center has 3 horizontal bars, not the “Eggcrate” grill as found in the Custom 8 cars. The Super series of cars all came with the 327 engine, while the Standard 8 and Deluxe 8 came with the 288 engine. Both have 5 main bearings.
Now here is where it can get confusing. Since all 3 of those engines use the SAME HEAD GASKET, the heads are interchangeable. It’s a possibility it has a 356 head, but not the larger crankcase with the 9 main bearings, it just won’t fit in the short chassis. [All Packard 8 heads from 1948 to 1954 are interchangeable.]
Super 8 limousines were a one series offering, in an attempt to offer a lesser cost limo or 7-passenger sedan to the funeral homes that might buy a Packard Hearse. The Super 8 Deluxe limousines were price-slotted for corporate use and upscale limousine service companies. You got the incredibly plush interior* of the Custom Eight limo, with the smaller engine, chassis and less equipment like the hydraulic assist windows, Cormorant hood ornament & a power antenna [vacuum]. The larger wheel covers are for the 1951 and 1953-4 Packard vehicles [’52 had ribs in the smooth areas of the center].
These cars were offered in the 23rd series Packard line-up that ran from mid 1949 thru the 1950 model year.
*The interior of the Custom Eight and the Super Deluxe was equal to the finest interior of coachbuilt pre-war cars like Duesenberg, Rolls-Royce and Pierce-Arrow. The seats & door panels were upholstered in the finest English wool broadcloth, the bottom trim on the doors and seat bases was real leather, and the carpeting was the finest carpeting I’ve ever rested my bare feet in/on, it was called “Mosstread”. My toes would literally sink into the pile, and it was backed by a new product; dense-foam rubber. As far as I know, no one has ever reproduced that material, as it would be too expensive to undertake.
Also of interest was the headliner design. On the Custom Eight 6-passenger sedans the headliner ribs didn’t run from side to side, the ribs ran from the windshield header to the rear window, making the interior of the car look even longer than it already was!
Wow this is just all kinds of awesome. I can just imagine the Monopoly guy being chauffeured around as he contemplated whether or not to put hotels on Park Place and Boardwalk
I owned the sedan version of this car and it had a 327 displacement. Always ran too hot but then again I lived in SoCal.
Chinga Trailer describes a policy I have done for years. I don’t even like EBay but when I find something I want, casually going through listings, then I call and ask the seller what he/she wants for the car. Period. If i don’t get any cooperation I hang up courteously and move on. I’ve advised my friends in the Hobby to do the same. Or go elsewhere with better quality Sellers.
That car has been advertised on eBay for probably at least a year. A couple of times it has met reserve and should have sold yet it still comes back up for sale by the same seller in Memphis. It looks like a very nice car but I don’t understand why it hasn’t sold by now, especially if it has not reserved several times.
Based upon what John just said. Met reserve and wasn’t sold, there is a name I have for this it’s called, “TOMMYS TOYS.”
I have these toys but no Matter what it looks like, I don’t want to part with them.
:(
My favorite line of Packards ended with the splendid 1941s, to my eyes the pinnacle of separate-fender-and-headlight beauty, and as I emerged from the factory that year myself I’ve always had a hankering for one. However, there is a sort of mature majesty to this behemoth that goes beyond mere esthetics, or even good sense, and I swear that if I could lay hand to the money (oh, and overcome Mrs. O’s almost certain objections) I would buy it in a heartbeat. And as for transport costs? I would budget for the vast quantities of fuel it would take to propel this thing to Pasadena, California, make reservations at 3-400 mile intervals, pack my stuff and go fetch it.
And of course sell it when we got here.
Good choice for any Bus or Limo company that needs a special money maker.
This isn’t a Custom Eight- it’s a Super Eight with a 327- not a 356. 327 shared a block with the 288, while the 356 was a whole different 9-main bearing engine. Interior is beautiful but it’s incorrect for a Super. Custom Eights can be easily identified by their egg- crate grill and extra trim around the belt line.
The optional overdrive was a separate Borg Warner box, behind the 3-speed trans. It was operated by a knob under the dash, to the right of the steering column, which this car appears to have.
http://hotclassicdeals.com/details.php?id=8469&utm_source=car.mitula.us&utm_medium=referral
Listed for $33,400.
I suspected the guy might be nuts………the interior alone would cost another 10K to make right…….he thinks it is a 32 model.
@JimmyinTexas
Appears to be the same car listed in 2 different locations. Now we have an idea what the reserve may be. I am always suspicious of the seller when I see 2 locations.
Or like someone mentioned it is a case of “Tommies Toys”. He really doesn’t want to sell it or just trolling…
My first car was a 49 Packard, 288 straight 8, 3 on the tree. Bought it in the late 70’s from an old man in the neighborhood. It had the original Philco radio warranty card in the glove box. It was Army green, with horsehair seats. The thing was HUGE. I used to pour gas mixed with 2 stroke oil from my outboard in it when I was too broke to buy gas, driving around town billowing smoke out the back.
I notice this one has square tail lights, my had protruding round ones.
Triumph Guy,
Your car was a late 1949, known as a 23rd series vehicle, produced thru the 1950 model year. It also had a single chrome side trim mid way along the side panels, as well as a solid center to the front bumper.
The cars with the flat square taillights were 22nd series cars, produced in 1948 and into early 1949. They had twin side chrome trim sets on the lower body panels, and a hole in the front bumper for cooling the radiator.