1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Sport Sedan

This Packard 1008 Sport Sedan was created specifically to be displayed at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, A Century of Progress, which opened in May. It was a Ray Dietrich-style formal sedan modified to present 'The highest expression of the industry that has civilized the world.' It was a handsome blending of ingredients from Dietrich, Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, and Packard's chief designer, Edward Macauley. The car started out as a 1933 Tenth Series Sport Sedan, updated at the fair with 1934 Eleventh Series bumper caps and forward-extended front fenders to mimic the new models that were being introduced in the fall. The use of a rear-mounted spare obviated side-mounts, revealing the beautifully swept fenders. An elongated 'false hood' and slim spears on the hood vent doors added to the impression of length afforded by the 147-inch wheelbase. Inside it featured an interior luxuriously appointed with gold plating, burled Carpathian elm wood trim, and a rear compartment lavished with a magazine rack, makeup mirror, smoking set, writing desk, radio speaker, divider window, and a bar replete with two gold flasks with matching cups.

The end result was so spectacular that a jury of artists selected this car to be taken from the Packard display and placed under the central suspended dome of the Travel & Transport building as the finest representation of the advancement of the automobile at that point in time - quite an honor for Packard, who lost no time in capitalizing by calling it 'The Car of the Dome.' Following the close of the Fair in November of 1933, it was returned to the factory to finish being upgraded to 1934 Packard Twelve specifications, including its serial numbers (its hood handles are the only remaining features of the 1933 body). The car was extensively toured throughout the northeast and then sold to its first owner in April 1934, Thomas M. Flanaghan, Wyomissing Park, Pennsylvania through the Jones & Manske dealer in Reading. At $12,000, it was the most expensive new car ever sold by Packard throughout its history. It is one of three surviving Dietrich Sport Sedans of the four produced.