1938 Packard 1605 Super Eight Convertible Sedan

James Ward Packard purchased a Winton automobile and had some complaints about it. He was subsequently challenged by Alexander Winton to build a better car. He accepted the challenge, and Packard's first automobile fired up on November 6th of 1899. Along with his brother, William, and George Weiss as partners, he founded the Ohio Automobile Company, selling Packard automobiles in 1900. On October 13th of 1902, it officially became the Packard Motorcar Company and moved to Detroit a year later.

Featuring a number of design innovations, including the modern steering wheel, the Packard quickly became a favorite among the wealthy, both in the United States and abroad.

A popular anecdote that's engrained in Packard lore is that a potential customer sent a letter to James Packard requesting information about the dependability of his cars. At the time, there was no sales literature. Packard, President, and General Manager had no time to reply personally to the writer, so he told his secretary to tell the gentleman to simply, 'Ask the man who owns one.' Since first published in an advertisement in Motor Age on October 31st of 1901, it became arguably the most famous slogan to ever originate in America.

Packard was the premier luxury competitor for many marques but as the number of automobile manufacturers dwindled during the Great Depression, the main competition was Cadillac. Each company brought out new and innovative features to draw in high-end car buyers.

If you 'Ask the Man Who Owns One,' Packard's long-running advertising slogan, he would tell you that his car was silent and drove outstandingly. He may also tell you that the 1937 Packard Super Eight features a 9 main bearing, 320 cubic-inch inline L-Head eight-cylinder engine, with a bore & stroke 6-in x 5 inch, brake horsepower of 135 @ 3200 RPM, and equally, he would tell you that 1937 was Packard's first use of an independent front suspension.

The current owner acquired this Convertible Sedan in the early 2000s. A restoration soon began, doing most of the work himself, in 2005. He performed a full body-off restoration, finishing the car in Packard's Ivory White, and the interior is finished in maroon leather. There is a fully restored banjo-style steering wheel, restored instruments, and a working radio.

The car has been driven barely 200 miles since the restoration work was completed. It has achieved AACA judging with a First Junior, progressing to First Senior and then Grand National First in 2007. It wears a Classic Car Club of America Premier medallion, and it has been named Best in Class at both the Glenmoor Gathering in Ohio and the Gilmore in Hickory Corners, Michigan. It has also received the Joseph Parkin Award from the AACA, been honored by Packard Automobile Classics, aka The Packard Club, with the Alvan Macauley Award for Best in Show, and it was the cover car for the July/August issue of Torque, the magazine of the CCCA's Michigan region.