1935 Packard 1201 Eight Phaeton

The Packard sport phaeton was differentiated from the standard phaeton by its dual-cowl specification, which offered increased protection from the elements for the rear passengers. This particular example is a Sport Phaeton powered by an eight-cylinder engine. It is believed that the Packard Motor Company did not build any sport phaeton models on the 1201 Eight chassis for the 1935 model year. The dual-cowl body was officially offered on high-end cars such as the Super Eight and Twelve models. The Packard Eight phaeton was offered in standard single-cowl form, and yet, this example exists, wearing a dual-cowl phaeton body that bears body tags that appear to confirm its authenticity.

It was originally sold on April 20th of 1935 from the Packard dealer in Stamford, Connecticut. It is believed that the body was originally destined for a Super Eight but was instead fitted to the Eight chassis as a cost-saving measure. At the time, a single phaeton body style was priced at $2,870, while a Super Eight phaeton sold for $3,390.

This Packard may have been rebodied by one of its earlier owners, but no documentation exists to support this. However, there are factory markings and tags on the body that lend support to the conclusion that this is a factory example. There is a data plate marked 'Body number 8418664 Dietrich Detroit' and a Packard data plate stamped '841209.' The 841 was for the sport phaeton, with no other stamped information.

The current owner acquired this Packard in 2015. Prior to his ownership, it had spent the previous 46 years in single ownership in the care of Mr. William McCoy of Mt. Holly Springs, Pennsylvania, who acquired the Packard from the Hampton, New York, area. Mr. McCoy had treated the car to a high-quality, multi-year restoration, with much of the work done by McCoy himself. When the car was sold to its present owner, it had just 51,170 miles on the odometer. Driven sparingly by the previous two owners, it accumulated less than 15,000 miles over the past 50 years, with just 3,000 of those miles in the ownership of the current owner.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2020