Packard was considered by many to be the king of the luxury Phaeton market and this 1934 example makes it easy to understand why. Only 960 buyers stepped forward to buy V12 cars from Packard in 1934 and precious few of those bought Phaetons, making this a very rare example of the ultimate in open-air luxury motoring.
The Packard V12 had a 160 horsepower, 445.5 cubic-inch engine with banks of cylinders at 67-degrees, and was produced from 1932 through 1939. Total production in eight years was about 7,000 units. This car was purchased new by the City of New York in 1934. Its primary purpose was to be used as a parade car for such dignitaries as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Mayor of New York, Fiorello LaGuardia, the World Champion New York Yankees and other dignitaries of the era. The City of New York owned this car until the 1950s, when it was purchased by Leo Gephart. Mr. Gephart, in turn, sold it to James Dougherty of Indianapolis, who sold it to the current owner in 2005. A complete restoration was completed in 2007.