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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 that 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 combines 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 exceptions.
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 2000s 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
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 that 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 combines 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 exceptions.
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 2000s 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
2009 Mecum - Monterey Auction
Sale Price :
USD $330,000
1940 Packard Custom Super-8 One-Eighty Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Packard Custom Super-8 One-Eighty
(Data based on Model Year 1940 sales)
1940 Packard Custom Super-8 One-Eighty1940 Packard Darrin Custom Super Eight 180 Convertible Sedan Chassis#: C507382F Sold for USD$263,200 2024 Worldwide Auctioneers : Enthusiast Auction | |
1940 PACKARD 180 4-DOOR SEDAN Chassis#: C505763F Sold for USD$33,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1940 Packard Super Eight 180 Touring Sedan Sold for USD$41,440 2023 Worldwide Auctioneers : The Auburn Auction | |
1940 PACKARD CUSTOM SUPER EIGHT 180 CONVERTIBLE SEDAN Sold for USD$162,400 2023 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach | |
1940 Packard Custom Super Eight One-Eighty Club Sedan Chassis#: 1356-2077 Sold for USD$51,700 2022 RM Sothebys : The Hershey Auction | |
1940 Packard Custom Super Eight One-Eighty Sport Sedan by Darrin Chassis#: 1807-2002 Sold for USD$280,000 2021 RM Sothebys : Hershey | |
1940 Packard 180 Five Passenger Touring Sedan Chassis#: 13422386 Sold for USD$17,920 2019 Bonhams : Tupelo Auction | |
1940 Packard Super 8 One-Eighty Touring Sedan Chassis#: 13422501 Sold for USD$28,000 2019 RM Sothebys : Fort Lauderdale | |
1940 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Club Sedan Chassis#: 13562115 Sold for USD$24,750 2018 RM Auctions : Auburn Fall | |
1940 PACKARD SUPER 8 1803 Chassis#: 13792030 Sold for USD$62,700 2018 Barrett-Jackson : Northeast | |
1940 Packard Custom Super Eight One-Eighty Club Sedan Sold for USD$22,825 2017 Auctions America : Auburn Fall | |
1940 Packard Super Eight Touring Sedan Sold for USD$28,500 2017 Mecum : Portland | |
1940 Packard One-Eighty Touring Sedan Sold for USD$49,500 2017 Auctions America : Fort Lauderdale | |
1940 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Convertible Sedan by Darrin Sold for USD$236,500 2014 Motor City Auction by RM Auctions | |
1940 PACKARD SERIES 1801 MODEL 1392 SEDAN Sold for USD$40,425 2014 McCormick's - Palm Springs # 56 | |
1940 PACKARD CLUB SEDAN Sold for USD$22,050 2013 McCormick's - Palm Springs # 55 | |
1940 Packard Darrin Convertible Custom Chassis#: C502708B Sold for USD$242,000 2013 Russo & Steele - Scottsdale | |
1940 Packard Custom Super-Eight 180 Convertible Victoria Chassis#: V520265P Sold for USD$247,500 2012 Gooding and Company - Pebble Beach Auction | |
1940 Packard Darrin Convertible Sold for USD$205,000 2011 Mecum Auctions - Kissimmee, FL Auction | |
1940 Packard Model 1807 Convertible Sedan Sold for USD$253,000 2010 Gooding and Company - Scottsdale Auction |
Packard Custom Super-8 One-Eightys That Failed To Sell At Auction
1940 Packard Custom Super-8 One-Eighty's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1940 Packard Darrin Custom Super Eight 180 Convertible Sedan | C507382F | 2024 Worldwide Auctioneers : Enthusiast Auction | |||
1940 Packard Darrin 1807 Convertible Sedan | 18072010 | 2024 Worldwide Auctioneers : Scottsdale | |||
1940 Packard Custom Super Eight One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin | 1806-2001 | 2023 RM Sothebys : Monterey | $475,000 | $550,000 | |
1940 Packard Darrin 180 Super Eight Custom Victoria Convertible | 18062001 | 2022 Worldwide Auctioneers : The Auburn Auction | |||
1940 Packard Super 8 Model 1807 Convertible Sedan | C506019F | 2021 Worldwide Auctioneers : The Enthusiast Auction | |||
1940 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin | 2020 RM Sothebys : Amelia Island Auction | $300,000 | $375,000 | ||
1940 Packard One-Eighty Touring Sedan | 2017 Auctions America : Auburn Spring | $50,000 | $60,000 | ||
1940 Packard One-Eighty Club Sedan | 2017 Auctions America : Auburn Spring | $37,500 | $45,000 | ||
1940 Packard One-Eighty Formal Sedan | 2016 Auctions America : Auburn Fall | $34,000 | $50,000 | $60,000 | |
1940 Packard One-Eighty Touring Limousine | 2016 Auctions America : Auburn Fall | $17,500 | $35,000 | $45,000 | |
1940 Packard Super 8 Custom 1351 Touring Sedan 356/160 HP, 3-Speed | 2012 Mecum St Charles, Il | $65,000 | |||
1940 Packard Model 1806 Towne Coupe | 18062007 | 2011 Gooding and Company Pebble Beach Auctions | $400,000 | $500,000 | |
1940 Packard Model 180 Eight Woodie Wagon | 13732349 | 2011 Bonhams Greenwich Concours d'Elegance: Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia | $125,000 | $150,000 | |
1940 Packard Darrin Four Door Convertible Sedan | 2010 Leake Auctions Tulsa, Oklahoma | $150,000 | |||
1940 Packard Darrin Convertible | 2009 Mecum Monterey Auction | $160,000 | |||
1940 PACKARD 180 SUPER EIGHT | 2003 Bonhams MOTOR CARS | $35,000 | $45,000 | ||
1940 PACKARD SUPER 8 TWO DOOR | 2001 Kruse Auction San Antonio, TX | $16,000 |
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1940 Packard Custom Super-8 One-Eighty
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