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1940 Packard Custom Super 8 180 news, pictures, and information
 |  | View more photos Convertible Victoria Coachwork: Darrin Chassis Num: 18062025 |
Packard: A Brief History
Packard entered the 1940s firmly ensconced at the top of Detroit's luxury car market. It also saw the looming demands of war-related production coming and rationalized its line with the elimination of the complex and expensive Twelve. It was replaced by the Custom Super Eight One-Eighty, carrying Packard's senior custom body line. Five were Packard Customs, two were bodied by Rollson, and the balance of three was created by Darrin. Luxuriously equipped and lavishly trimmed, a One-Eighty could set its buyer back by $6,800 or more depending on special requests and options.The success of Packard's move was amply demonstrated when 1,900 One-Eighties were sold, more than four times 1939's production of Packard Twelves. Sales of the new One-Eighty were boosted by the reception and publicity which one of its new custom styles - the new Darrin Convertible Victoria - received, described by Packard as the 'Glamour Car of the Year,' a claim that was more accurate than advertising hype.
The Darrin
Howard 'Dutch' Darrin was born to money and comfort and blessed with an eye and a sense for style, design and balance. Darrin was not, however, quite as well supplied with family money as his contemporary, Edsel Ford, and labored successfully among his social counterparts during a 40-year career in America and Europe designing some of the most important, successful, elegant and creative coachwork of the Classic Era.
Early in his career Darrin worked at the family company, Automatic Switch Company in New Jersey, designing complex electrical switching systems, including the first push-button elevator switch used by Otis Elevator, experience which later stood him in good stead coping with the mechanical complexities of coachwork including folding-top mechanisms, his famous sliding-door system and relocating the steering column and wheel for lower cowl and hood lines.
Darrin was the ideal representative for LeBaron to send to Paris to represent them in 1922 where his naturally ebullient personality blended smoothly with the 'Jazz Age.' But barely a year later he joined with LeBaron colleague Tom Hibbard to form Hibbard & Darrin. Over the next 15 years, they and Darrin's later partner, a banker named Fernandez, created groundbreaking designs, skillfully executed in their own shop, on the most luxurious chassis. So innovative was their work that in 1927 General Motors licensed a Hibbard & Darrin hood and fender treatment for Cadillac, paying the then-considerable sum of $25,000 plus $1,000 per month for the privilege.
Rebounding from a recession in the French economy in 1937, Darrin returned to the U.S. where he set up his own coachworks on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The name he chose, 'Darrin of Paris,' was as flamboyant as his coachwork designs. His name, reputation - and no doubt his bon vivant personality - brought the operation success.
Darrin's favorite body style was the convertible victoria and he excelled at its execution, not only by creating an innovative compromise between sporting and formal coachwork, but also by his mastery of the complicated three-position top mechanism. In Darrin's idiom, a convertible victoria was an open body with seating for four in which the top, which usually completely disappeared when stowed, had an intermediate position which covered the rear seats but left the driver's compartment open in the manner of a formal town car. In 1937 Darrin of Paris executed a cut-down door disappearing-top Victoria on a Packard One-Twenty chassis for actor Dick Powell which was quickly followed by three 1938 Packard Super Eight victorias. Brought to Packard President Alvan MacAuley's attention by Packard's Los Angeles distributor, Earle C. Anthony, the Packard Darrins were cataloged by Packard in 1940 and are the most desirable of all Packards of this period.
Packard Darrins combine a stylish presence and a sporting attitude with the quality and performance of the Packard chassis and engine. They have panache, much like Darrin himself, the other cars of the period strove to emulate but rarely, if ever, achieved. They will, like a few timeless designs from automobile styling history, stop traffic and strike up conversations in any situation. They are just exception.
This Car
An example of the first year of Packard Darrin Convertible Victoria production, the example offered here comes from a collector who prides himself on the correct, reliable operation and handling of his cars. Its show-winning restoration was completed in the early 2000's and has garnered 100-point, first place awards every time it has been shown in AACA and CCCA competition. The frame and undercarriage is powder coated to the highest standards and the owner states it runs and drives like a brand-new car, or better.
It is finished in Miami Sand with a Light Saddle Tan leather interior and is fitted with factory overdrive. In its current configuration there is one deviation from stock appearance. The owner-restored adapted the dashboard and instrument panel from a 12-cylinder 1938 Packard acquired from Bill Hirsch to the 1940 Darrin convertible victoria, a change that has not affected its concours scored and rectifies one of the peculiarities of Darrin's design, the fact that the stock dashboard orientation means the instruments are best read while lying on the front seat cushion.Source - Gooding & Company
 |  | View more photos Club Sedan |
One of the unique features of the Club Sedan is twin mirrored rear-mounted vanities, each with a perfume bottle. The owner has had this automobile in his family for 35 years. The restoration was completed in 2007.
 |  | View more photos Convertible Victoria Coachwork: Darrin |
By the 1940s, the top of the line Packards were known as the Super Eight 160 and the Custom Super Eight 180. Both were powered by a 160 horsepower engine which was powerful enough to carry the stately bodies. These two series were distinguished by a number of visual items such as hubcaps and hood louvers. The 160 was given a 'flying lady' mascot while the 180 carried the cormorant.
The 1940 Packard Custom Super-8 had three sub-series, the 1806, 1807, and 1808. The 1806 cars had a wheelbase size of 127-inches. The 1807 had a 138-inch platform and the 1808 cars rested on a large 148-inch wheelbase. All had the same tire sizes of 7.00 x 16. Included in the 1806 were the Club Sedan and the Darrin bodied Convertible Victoria. The 1808 series included the touring limousine, sedan, and the Rollson All-Weather Town car. The remaining bodystyles were 1807.
The custom body era was drawing to a close by 1940 but Packard continued to offer a line of catalogued custom offerings. This convertible sedan by Darrin is one of the rarest with just 11 built, of which an amazing 9 survive. Designer Howard 'Dutch' Darris is probably best remembered for the flamboyant open cars he created for Hollywood celebrities.
|  | View more photos Sport Sedan Coachwork: Darrin |
| | View more photos Club Sedan |
The Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit was America's premier automobile manufacturer during the first four decades of the 20th century. However, the post-Depression decline in ultra-luxury cars forced a refocusing that resulted in the medium-priced 1935 One-Twenty and, two years later, a Six. Then, in 1939 the mighty Twelve's were discontinued. Thus, in 1940 the new Custom Super Eight One-Eighty, offered in three wheelbases, crowned the Packard line.
This particular Custom Super Eight was a low production model characterized by its unique 'Club Sedan' cabin styling, with blind rear quarters. Most Packard 180's were 7-passenger cars built on a 148-inch wheelbase, but the 5-passenger Club Sedan had a 127-inch wheelbase, making it especially maneuverable. The luxurious interior included two rear seat vanities, each with perfume bottle and comb holder. The dual side-mount spare tires and trunk rack were optional.
The 1940 model year was the first for the massive Super Eight 356 cubic-inch engine as well as a column shift for 3-speed transmission with overdrive.
This Packard has been in the exhibitor's family for 35 years. A full restoration was begun in 1999 and completed in January 2007. The most challenging aspects were research and execution of the correct dashboard and two-tone broadcloth interior. Only about 20 1940 180 Club Sedans such as this remain.
Packard: A Brief History
Packard entered the 1940s firmly ensconced at the top of Detroit's luxury car market. It also saw the looming demands of war-related production coming and rationalized its line with the elimination of the complex and expensive Twelve. It was replaced by the Custom Super Eight One-Eighty, carrying Packard's senior custom body line. Five were Packard Customs, two were bodied by Rollson, and the balance of three was created by Darrin. Luxuriously equipped and lavishly trimmed, a One-Eighty could set its buyer back by $6,800 or more depending on special requests and options.The success of Packard's move was amply demonstrated when 1,900 One-Eighties were sold, more than four times 1939's production of Packard Twelves. Sales of the new One-Eighty were boosted by the reception and publicity which one of its new custom styles - the new Darrin Convertible Victoria - received, described by Packard as the 'Glamour Car of the Year,' a claim that was more accurate than advertising hype.
The Darrin
Howard 'Dutch' Darrin was born to money and comfort and blessed with an eye and a sense for style, design and balance. Darrin was not, however, quite as well supplied with family money as his contemporary, Edsel Ford, and labored successfully among his social counterparts during a 40-year career in America and Europe designing some of the most important, successful, elegant and creative coachwork of the Classic Era.
Early in his career Darrin worked at the family company, Automatic Switch Company in New Jersey, designing complex electrical switching systems, including the first push-button elevator switch used by Otis Elevator, experience which later stood him in good stead coping with the mechanical complexities of coachwork including folding-top mechanisms, his famous sliding-door system and relocating the steering column and wheel for lower cowl and hood lines.
Darrin was the ideal representative for LeBaron to send to Paris to represent them in 1922 where his naturally ebullient personality blended smoothly with the 'Jazz Age.' But barely a year later he joined with LeBaron colleague Tom Hibbard to form Hibbard & Darrin. Over the next 15 years, they and Darrin's later partner, a banker named Fernandez, created groundbreaking designs, skillfully executed in their own shop, on the most luxurious chassis. So innovative was their work that in 1927 General Motors licensed a Hibbard & Darrin hood and fender treatment for Cadillac, paying the then-considerable sum of $25,000 plus $1,000 per month for the privilege.
Rebounding from a recession in the French economy in 1937, Darrin returned to the U.S. where he set up his own coachworks on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The name he chose, 'Darrin of Paris,' was as flamboyant as his coachwork designs. His name, reputation - and no doubt his bon vivant personality - brought the operation success.
Darrin's favorite body style was the convertible victoria and he excelled at its execution, not only by creating an innovative compromise between sporting and formal coachwork, but also by his mastery of the complicated three-position top mechanism. In Darrin's idiom, a convertible victoria was an open body with seating for four in which the top, which usually completely disappeared when stowed, had an intermediate position which covered the rear seats but left the driver's compartment open in the manner of a formal town car. In 1937 Darrin of Paris executed a cut-down door disappearing-top Victoria on a Packard One-Twenty chassis for actor Dick Powell which was quickly followed by three 1938 Packard Super Eight victorias. Brought to Packard President Alvan MacAuley's attention by Packard's Los Angeles distributor, Earle C. Anthony, the Packard Darrins were cataloged by Packard in 1940 and are the most desirable of all Packards of this period.
Packard Darrins combine a stylish presence and a sporting attitude with the quality and performance of the Packard chassis and engine. They have panache, much like Darrin himself, the other cars of the period strove to emulate but rarely, if ever, achieved. They will, like a few timeless designs from automobile styling history, stop traffic and strike up conversations in any situation. They are just exception.Source - Gooding & Company
| | View more photos Convertible Victoria Coachwork: Darrin |
Three custom bodies built by Howard 'Dutch' Darrin, a veteran custom body designer of Packard, were available for the 1940 One-Eighty including this convertible victoria. Packard's One-Eighty by Darrin was the most widely-promoted model and gained attention from Hollywood icons including Clark Gable and Dick Powell. Today, many automobile aficionados view the Darrin One-Eighty as one of the finest models to carry the Packard name.
The 1940 One-Eighty Darrin convertible victoria sits on a 127-inch wheelbase chassis and is powered by the legendary 160 horsepower, 356 cubic-inch straight eight engine. The 1940 Packard was the industry's first production model to offer air conditioning. Only 1,900 One-Eighty Packards were built in 1940 - ten body styles were available, including the Darrin.
 | Convertible Victoria Coachwork: Darrin |
 |  | View more photos Convertible Sedan Coachwork: Darrin |
Darrin presented his masterpiece to Packard dealers, who then lobbied the company to offer these stunning cars as 'catalogue customs' which it did through 1942. Darrin built the cars in Connersville, Indiana in 1940, and Packard moved production to Hess & Eisenhardt, in Cincinnati, in 1941 and 1942. About 150 Darrins were built, in all, mostly as Convertible Victorias. A few Sedans and Convertible Sedans were built. This example is one of only three Convertible Sedans built in 1940.
| | View more photos Convertible Victoria Coachwork: Darrin |
Three custom bodies built by Howard 'Dutch' Darrin, a veteran custom body designer of Packard, were available for the 1940 One-Eighty including this convertible victoria. Packard's One-Eighty by Darrin was the most widely-promoted model and gained attention from Hollywood icons including Clark Gable and Dick Powell. Today, many automobile aficionados view the Darrin One-Eighty as one of the finest models to carry the Packard name.
The 1940 One-Eighty Darrin Convertible Victoria sits on a 127-inch wheelbase chassis, powered by the legendary 160 horsepower, 356 cubic-inch straight eight engine. The 1940 Packard was the industry's first production model to offer air conditioning. Only 1,900 One-Eighty Packards were built in 1940. Ten body styles were available, including the Darrin.
The Packard One Eighty was first introduced in 1940 and was Packard's new top-of-the-line vehicle. It served as a replacement for the company's V12 powered vehicle. The Packard 180 was given a eight-cylinder 356 cubic-inch engine that produced an astonishing 160 horsepower. Packard proudly claimed that it was the most powerful eight cylinder engine on the market.
Though most of the other series, the 110, 120, 160, and 180, were similar in body styling in 1940, the 180 was segregated by its exquisite interior detailing, and lush carpets and fabrics. Options included a heater/defroster, air conditioning, radio, fender skirts, backup lights and more.
Styling changed only slightly during its production lifespan, lasting until 1942 when World War II brought an end to civilian automobile production. Famous coachbuilders, such as Darrin and LeBaron were given the opportunity to build their interpretation of the automobile on this accommodating chassis. These were constructed in limited numbers and built to suite the individual customers needs, desires, and specifications.
Standard on the 180 Series were power windows, overdrive, and deluxe interior appointments. The 180 Series was powered by a 356-cubic inch straight-eight, with 160 hp, and rode on a 138-inch wheelbase.
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Though most of the other series, the 110, 120, 160, and 180, were similar in body styling in 1940, the 180 was segregated by its exquisite interior detailing, and lush carpets and fabrics. Options included a heater/defroster, air conditioning, radio, fender skirts, backup lights and more.
Styling changed only slightly during its production lifespan, lasting until 1942 when World War II brought an end to civilian automobile production. Famous coachbuilders, such as Darrin and LeBaron were given the opportunity to build their interpretation of the automobile on this accommodating chassis. These were constructed in limited numbers and built to suite the individual customers needs, desires, and specifications.
Standard on the 180 Series were power windows, overdrive, and deluxe interior appointments. The 180 Series was powered by a 356-cubic inch straight-eight, with 160 hp, and rode on a 138-inch wheelbase.
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subscribe - RSSAutomobile information, history, and specifications from concept to production. | © 1998-2009 Conceptcarz.com