1941 Packard Super-8 One-Sixty Limousine

1941 Packard Model 1905 Super-8 160 Limousine wears coachwork by Bohman & Schwartz of Pasadena, California. It was the final commission for Bohman & Schwartz who received Mrs. Marie Clarke's new 1941 Packard long-wheelbase seven-passenger sedan and rebuilt it, changing nearly every body panel on the car to her exact specifications and detailed instructions. The front compartment, including the door panels and headliner, is finished in black leather. The rear compartment is trimmed in triple-weave English Bedford cord wool and is accented by the silk-covered door and window shade pulls with dark blue English wool carpets and lambswool overlay. The ample windowpanes of the rear elevated compartment are surrounded by a burled black walnut.

When Mrs. Clarke passed away in 1948, the bespoke Packard was cast aside and eventually acquired by Harrah's Automobile Collection in 1966 as a restoration project which never took place. It would remain in unrestored condition until 1990 when it was enquired by an enthusiast who entrusted Packard expert David Mitchell of Geneseo, Illinois to complete the restoration. The work took seven years to complete and nearly every facet of the car was renewed, using countless NOS parts from his own inventory and from private collections of Packard parts across the country. After thousands of hours of work, the car was rewarded in 1998 with a First in Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It was followed by numerous additional 100-point judgments and class wins at top shows in subsequent years.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021