1937 Packard 1508 Twelve Convertible Sedan

Built in Detroit from 1899 until 1958, Packard was long considered to be the premier luxury automobile. Along with Peerless and Pierce-Arrow, Packard was often referred to as one of the 'Three P's' of American motor car Royalty. During the 1930s, when custom coachwork was an option for a buyer, Packards were the choice of many. There weren't many companies offering Twelve Cylinder engines, but the Packard was considered one of the best. Combine that with styling or custom coachwork and it is easy to see why it was the choice of the elite.

The 15th Series Packards had several mechanical and stylistic improvements over the 1936 models, including 'Safe-T-Flex' independent front suspension, hydraulic brakes as fitted to the Senior Packard models, and disc-type steel wheels. The 1508 Convertible Sedan was Packard's largest and heaviest of the series as well as being the most expensive, costing $5,150 when new. Surprisingly, more Packard Twelves were sold in 1937 than any other year, despite the fact that the country was still recovering from the Great Depression.

This custom-bodied Twelve Cylinder convertible sedan was designed and built by Ray Dietrich. Packard built 5466 V12s during the eight years from 1932-1939. 1937 was the most prolific year with over 1300 twelve-cylinder engines finding their way in updated senior series chassis. 1937 was also the last year for the 144-inch wheelbase. This Five passenger sedan was the 36th produced, being the last of the 41 built in 1937. This car was sold new in Chicago and much of its early life is unknown. It spent most of its life near Reno, Nevada. It was put into storage in Reno, Nevada in 1955, where it remained in its original condition until 2008. Its current owners restored it beginning in 2009 and finishing in 2015.