1935 Packard 1201 Eight Convertible Victoria

From 1899 until 1958 Packard Motor Car Company produced some of the most highly regarded luxury automobiles in the world. Packard introduced its 12th Series on August 20th, 1934. It continued to dominate the luxury car field though its image changed from being a maker of just luxury cars with the introduction in the mid-1930s of the One-Ten and One-Twenty models for middle-class buyers.

There were a number of coachbuilders that worked with Packard, such as Darrin, LeBaron, and Dietrich. During the 1930s Packard had an expanding export business. The cars were sold as rolling chassis and custom-bodied once they reached their destination. One of the more interesting designers was Hermann Graber, a Swiss coachbuilder, known for his elegant and curvaceous designs.

Graber traditionally displayed its designs on its own stand at the Geneva Salon. This 1935 Packard Eight, built on a standard 127-inch wheelbase, was first shown at the 1935 Geneva Auto Salon with coachwork by Graber of Bern. It was sold to its first owner by Packard distributor Werner Risch of Zurich, Switzerland, then was purchased by a man in Georgia, who sold it to a third owner in California - and there it remained, hidden away until its current owner acquired it in 2007. Although most Packards were bodied in the United States, bodies for the Packard Eight were also designed by several European coachbuilders, including Graber and Franay. This Graber Convertible Victoria has many unique features including the firewall, cowl, and windshield posts, all from a single aluminum casting; and the turn indicators, which are set in the windshield posts. The top is finished in leather and utilizes functional external landau irons with attachment escutcheons made of wood. Wood is also used on the exterior door handles and the chrome luggage rack has horizontal wooden slats.

Werner Risch's name appears on the car 13 times including all six wheels, the grill, and the horn grill.

The current owner treated the car to a three-year restoration.