Pity poor Packard. From its founding in 1899, it rose to prominence in the 1920s and ’30s making luxury cars for wealthy customers. But the Great Depression dealt it a near-fatal blow, and the rise of Ford and GM further stymied its recovery. The final ignominy arrived when it merged with Studebaker under nefarious circumstances – Studebaker famously fibbed about its financial condition to lure Packard to the altar. By the time this 1948 Super Eight was made, Packard had moved down-market, sullying its relationship with its wealthy buyers. It was only a decade away from disappearing altogether. This Super Eight is for sale on craigslist at a price of $4500, and it’s located in Arroyo Grande, California. Thanks to Rocco B. for the tip!
The “Super Eight” nomenclature became confusing, as Packard gyrated between long and short wheelbases and later shifted from the Clipper model name back to Super Eight. The first Super Eights were full sized cars in the luxury tradition, but were swiftly downsized. After WWII, the company was selling versions of its ponton-styled Clipper, which it then renamed the Super Eight. Common to all was an L-head straight-eight engine. In 1948, the engine displaced 327 cu. in. and breathed through a two-barrel Carter carburetor. With a 7:1 compression ratio, output was rated at about 145 hp. The transmission is a column-shift three-speed manual. This car runs, drives, and stops, but has a hole in the radiator begging for a fix. The battery is new and the car is registered through this year.
The passenger’s front door panel is clothed in an odd fabric that matches what appears to be a pillow settled in the rear seats. The rear door panel looks stock. The interior could benefit from upholstery conditioning and a thorough vacuuming, along with a few hours polishing the painted and plastic surfaces. The Super Eight sat in the middle of the line-up for ’48, below the Custom but above the Eight and De Luxe.
These post-war Super Eights were derived from the Clipper, with its “envelop” body styling. Nash, Studebaker, Ford, and others were introducing their own tubby models, riding the wave of modernity. While these bulky designs were not particularly well-loved, eventually stylists got it right, slenderizing the lines without sacrificing aerodynamics. Today, cars from the ’40s are struggling in the market place, and Packard is not immune. This Super Eight sedan wasn’t bid past $7k; Mecum’s ’49 sedan didn’t sell for $14k. What would you pay for this running, driving Super Eight?
La, la, la, the innocence of a new day, then BAM, no, no, it’s okay, it’s good vibes, and I can’t thank Ms. Rand enough. My grandfather bought a new Packard very similar to this in 1948. See sales ticket, sorry about the turned things, but you can read it. This is actually a bare bones car, and my grandfathers was a model 2211 Deluxe 8 Touring sedan, and had a 288 ci motor. The Super 8 here, as mentioned, was on the lower end, they had dozens of models. Not on this car the Cormorant( cost grandpa $13.25) or the Electromatic clutch and OD. gizmo( cost gramps $123!) not sure this car has a radio, that was $119 bucks. Him and grandma coughed up almost $3200 bucks, a huge sum in 1948, 3 times the cost of a Ford, but grandpa had pride in his veins, and while he missed serving in WW2, der, we figured he bought a Packard because of their war efforts. We couldn’t have won without Packard, and grandpa knew it. They were wonderful cars, and gramps tangled with a city bus, or so the story went, in 1961, with only 40K on it. I remember looking in his garage window as a kid, with the car all smashed, it broke his heart. He replaced it with a new ’61 Chevy Impala, but we knew,if he could have bought another Packard, he would have.
Thanks, Ms. Rand, for the wonderful memories of my grandfather.
This was my Grandpa Sam, circa 1950?
Sorry, not sure why the images from my files do that, anyone?
Fixed it, H!
Thanks, Scotty, it didn’t do him justice upside down. He was an upholsterer after the war, but we weren’t really sure where he got his money. He smoked big cigars, ( you can see one in his left hand) and drove a Packard, when most smoked Lucky Strikes and drove a Ford. He had 4 brothers, all pretty well off, I guess we’ll never know. My mom would have known, but we never talked about it. When the car got totaled, he took several things off, the Cormorant, of course, the radio, the rear view mirror, the “AAA” badge, and the backup light. They sat in his basement for years. We put the Cormorant and AAA badge on our Packard.
That is really something else Howard. That you are able to still have that paperwork in your family possession is impressive. And your Grandpas Packard sure was impressive too!!! The sun visor was a great option in my opinion too. Dave
Hi Dave, well, that was my grandmas doings, she was an accountant and tip of the iceberg of what we found when cleaning out the house. That was typical then. He had no trade in, and don’t recall him ever talking about any other cars before that.
Thats really something else Howard. That generation was full of ” savers” for sure. We had that with my Great Aunt. She kept everything from My Great Uncle paperwork, tie clips, everything from when he passed away in the mid 70s. We wound up inheriting their 1938 Stand Up Zenith radio, and it had all the paperwork. Its sad when they go, but also nice discovering who they were, a glimmer into their lives when you sort through their things.
That was a great experience you shared Howard. Thank you again, and Michelle for posting this Packard too.
Dave
Reading your grandfather’s Bill of Sale is so cool. He paid 30¢ per gallon for gas (I suppose that was the dealer-markup price!). $13.25 for a hood ornament was a steep price, but totally worth it! Thanks so much for sharing that.
In my opinion this would be a great car for spending time with grandkids cars/coffee
Good stuff, Howard-thank you for sharing that.
And FWIW, at least you can actually upload photos-some of us are challenged just to get a the thumbs up emoji to work at times..
Nice one, Michelle! Is this car really $4,500? That seems like a steal to me.
$4500 is a decent price for this. Spend a bit to make the minor repairs, and drive the wheels off of it. If I had the room….alas, I don’t.
The price on this one seems more than fair. There are several on Hemmings in a similar condition for $10-15K. I’ve got a ’50, and it would surprise you that they will cruise 60-70mph all day long! Of course with single master cylinder brakes, no seat belts, no air bags and no power assists or the other modern safety devices that might not be the smartest thing to do! GLWTS!
It’s a darn shame that cars from the 40’s are falling by the wayside of collectability. This Packard and others are magnificent displays of American ingenuity post war. They offer a driving experience that is unrivaled by other decades. I assume the fan base is just aging out of the market. I would have priced this one at about $10-$15K. At this price of $4500 OBO, it’s a steal. If I didn’t already have two 40’s cars, I would purchase this one. This Packard is a genuine bargain.
Azzura-
Love your ’40 Plymouth! It’s a huge forward leap from the ’37 Plymouth that was my first car. Bought it for $70. Heck, the insurance cost more than that!
Shifting into 2nd required a long right arm. A good friend’s mother had one, a ’50 Packard, that is. I often sat in the middle of the front seat, and watched her shift from 1st to 3rd. I saw her use 2nd a few times on a steep hill, but that was it. “You don’t need 2nd to accelerate in this car.”
My neighbor had one of these for years , traded it for an Edsel lol!!! He had the Edsel for years also!
I haven’t heard from Bill M. for a while, our Packard go to guy, hope he’s okay, he could fill in many details I have to look up. Apparently, this car is a #2272 Super 8 Touring Sedan and listed for $2802 and 17,000 were made( info courtesy of PackardInfo.com)
I love Packards!
To post photos, become a barnfinds member. No cost. Just register, adding a username and password. Then the next time you comment, there will be link to add JPGs, etc. Here’s my 1957 MG Magnette saloon. Designed by Gerald Palmer, it is a study in early envelope styling with a more staid British accent – likened to the ’41 Packard Clipper. Rather a miniature version! If I could find or fabricate a ‘40s-50s style sun visor for it I’d be inclined to add it
That is a beautiful car, mate, but I believe you must become a member, $90/year to post photos. Might be tough fabricating a visor, as most required a split windshield for the center support.
Hi Howard,
‘Thought somebody would make your comment about the sun visor. Probably so, although my dad’s ’48 Studebaker Champion Starlight coupe had a one-piece windshield – no center-post – yet it did have a sunvisor. Can’t remember how or if it was anchored in the middle. I’ve also forgotten there’s a fee for Barnfinds membership. Somehow it must have gotten buried in one of my credit card bills – one that I should have checked more carefully!
Thanks for your kind remarks. I saw a new Magnette at Mark Doyne’s Imported Motors in Minneapolis in 1959 and vowed someday I would have one. It took me another 45 years, but eventually… voila!
This side view reveals a bit more of styling similarities akin to ‘40s Packards. Previously, Palmer had designed the Jowett Javelin, an example of which can be seen here: http://classiccarsforsale.squarespace.com/reviews/classic-jowett-reviews-javelin
It looks like the ’48 Packard here was an early attempt to blend front and rear fenders and designers had yet to figure out how to do so without adding huge bulk to the design. I hated it back in the day but now they rather fascinate me as a period statement. I thought the succeeding Packards were stunning. The Studebaker Packards were a cruel joke – on the elegance of Packards as well as a nightmarish distortion of Studebaker’s landmark Raymond Loewy design originating in 1953.
This is probably the wrong place to put this, but since I’ve got both a 50 Packard and a 62 GT Hawk it brought it to my memory. I saw on Hemmings a few days ago a 62 GT Hawk for sale…price $175,000! Thought somebody must be out of their mind! But I looked at it…although cheapskate that I am…I think it’s worth it! Absolutely stunning car! If anybody here has that kind of money and likes Studes you oughta go look at it.