1935 Packard Twelve Sport Phaeton

All the hoopla at Packard in 1935 centered on the new low-priced One Twenty model. Regardless, Packard remained the leader in luxury automobiles, and the Twelve, without question, remained the grandest expression of luxury in the Packard model hierarchy. New styling gave the car a restrained streamlined appearance and the V-12 was stroked to 473 CID while conservatively rated at 175 horsepower. Twelves continued to be quality checked by the factory and then given a 250-mile run on the Packard super speedway test track in Utica, Michigan, before delivery.

As one of the premier luxury automobile manufacturers of the 1920s and 1930s, Packard competed with Cadillac to be the top American marque. Packard was the first company to put a V12 into a production car, and the ease of driving coupled with a smooth-running engine made Packard famous. The Packard Twelve Sport Phaeton with dual cowl had a base price before options of $4,290, which was quite a large sum in 1935. This car was originally delivered to its first owner in Lake Forest, Illinois. It was completely restored by its fourth owner in the 1970s and has been kept in that condition ever since. This model is thought to be one of only three remaining of the four examples produced in 1935.

By the mid-1930s, the Great Depression's effects were still being widely felt all throughout the world and particularly in the United States. Luxury automotive manufacturers were being forced to either face the reality of disappearing or make some drastic changes. Packard, however, would try to continue to offer high-end luxury while remaining alive with much more simplified cars for the masses. The Packard 12, though, would remain as exclusive as one could get during such an era.

The Packard 12, with its 473-cubic inch V-12, was, without question, Packard's most elite and luxurious model. One such example of Packard's ultimate expression of luxury and affluence was the Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton, chassis number 821-202, built in 1935.

One of just 788 V-12s produced in 1935, 821-202, would first be delivered to a customer in Lake Forest, Illinois. The base price of the car at the time of its delivery would be an impressive sum of $4,290, and that would be before options. In 1935, that would be an incredible sum of money.

The car would remain within the estate of its original owner until the 1950s when David Dangler, a V.P. with the Northern Trust Bank, came to own the car. Upon coming into the possession of Dangler the history of the 821-202 becomes a little uncertain. It is believed, however, Dangler sold the car to Jay Gross, a lawyer from a small town known as Princeton, Illinois. Gross was not only a lawyer but also, an owner of the Princeton Auto Museum.

What is known is that Walter Cunny then purchased the car from Gross and had it undergo a full frame-up restoration. The entire restoration work would take a period of five years and would be completed by Fuller Bros. Restorations Co. of Clinton, Iowa.

When the car emerged from its restoration the car would take part in a number of concours events throughout the Midwest. One of those events would be the 21st Classic Concours held in Indiana in 1977. In that event, 821-202 would go on to earn a total of 99.25 points out of a possible 100. Two years later, at the 1979 Indiana Grand Classic, the car would score an even 100.

This high-scoring Packard 12 would remain in the possession of Mr. Cunny for a number of years until it became the possession of Dr. Gerald Greenfield of Washington around 1996. Dr. Greenfield would only the car for only a couple of years before it would come to be acquired by its current owner. The current owner would offer a trade for the Packard 12. His offering for the car would be his own Packard, a Packard Darrin.

Although the car sports an older restoration, its look and presentation remain such that it has been a feature in a number of publications including a February 1995 issue of Collectible Automobile and a March-April 1980 issue of the Dashboard.

Boasting its 175hp V-12 engine and three-speed manual selective synchromesh transmission, 821-202 is believed to be just one of four Dual Cowl Phaeton 12s built for 1935 and is full of known history from new. CCCA Classic eligible and one of Packard's rare breeds, 821-202 will continue to turn heads and impress for years to come.

Chassis 821-202 would be offered at the 2012 Monterey RM Auction and would come with a pre-auction estimate of $280,000 and $350,000.

Sources:
'Lot No. 210: 1935 Packard Twelve Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton', (http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r201&fc=0). RM Auctions. http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r201&fc=0. Retrieved 1 January 2013.

'1935 Packard Twelve News, Pictures and Information', (http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11399/Packard-Twelve.aspx). Conceptcarz.com: From Concept to Production. http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11399/Packard-Twelve.aspx. Retrieved 1 January 2013.

By Jeremy McMullen