1938 Packard 1605 Super Eight Convertible Sedan

Packard produced 55,719 cars in 1938, very commendable since this was a recession year that occurred as part of the Great Depression. Of these, 2,478 were Super 8 models. Packard would go on to survive until 1958 when it ceased production. Several other car companies also went out of business in the same time frame.

The sixteenth series for Packard's featured pontoon fenders and a split-vee windshield.

This Model 1605 Convertible Sedan was the most expensive automobile in the Packard line. It rests on a 139-inch wheelbase chassis and is powered by the 320 cubic-inch straight eight engine which produces 130 horsepower. Bodied by Bohman & Schwartz, it is the only Packard convertible sedan with a removable hard top. Bohman & Schwartz was a custom coachbuilder that would survive until the 1950s. In 1932, after Murphy closed, employees Christian Bohman and Maurice Schwartz set up their own coachworks, and they quickly gained a reputation for more avant-garde styling, often bodied Duesenbergs, Cords, and Cadillacs as well as Packards. This car was delivered new to California and then was sold to an owner in Mexico, where it stayed for a decade. The car returned to the United States in the late 1950s. It was purchased by its current owner 12 years ago and has just been through a ground-up restoration.

It features optional dual-side mount spares, a full leather interior, the rear luggage rack, a radio, a heater, and the very rare Packard Roak lights with the Packard logo imprinted on them.

This example is painted in Silver Gray with a Cognac interior and it is a multiple national award winner. This particular car was recently re-restored for the second time in 2016 after becoming known as the 'Packard in the Pond' after an unfortunate situation at the 2015 Hilton Head Concours. It rolled into a golf water hazard, necessitating the car's second restoration of the year.

This car is the only prewar car with a removable hard top that weighs nearly 600 pounds. It also features a full leather interior, dual side mounts, a rear luggage rack as well as a radio and heater. There is a unique radiator ornament that doubles as a radio antenna. This model 1605 convertible sedan was the most expensive of the Packard line.