1929 Packard 645 Deluxe Eight Town Car

This Packard Deluxe Eight 645 Formal Town Car wears coachwork by the Walter M. Murphy Company of Pasadena, California. It was originally finished in dark brown with black fenders and moldings, and equipped with side-mounted spares, a rear-mounted trunk, and wooden artillery wheels. The car was built for Alexandra Hamilton Schilling and during her ownership, the Packard was always chauffeur-driven and primarily used in San Francisco. In 1941, it was given the family's chauffeur, Robert Lindland who used it until the mid-1950s. The town car languished on his property until 1969 when a college student named John Brooks purchased it from Mr. Lindland's widow. Mr. Brooks recommissioned the Packard and used it sparingly over the next two decades. In 1989 it was sold to Charlie Jones of Woodland, California. During the 1990s it was owned by Frank McGowan and Mark Smith; Robert Valpey acquired it in 1999.

Around 1999, it was given a restoration in a sympathetic manner. In 2003, it was awarded the most Elegant Car at the CCCA Grand Experience.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019