Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Spotted that 1940 One-Twenty in the middle of nowhere here in France yesterday. Supposedly ordered by the White House, then served at the US Ambassy in Paris in the 40s (maybe 50s too?), then stored in collections and museums, and now running again. I wonder when the car was imported, as I doubt it would have been in the 1940-1944 period.

In French, we say "Coup? de ville" (i.e. "Town Coupe").

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Just lovely, thanks for posting. I've know personally of several of those Rollson town cars (though they were 1941 models) and find them very attractive in their own severely formal way.

According to a report from the Smithsonian, no 40 Packard of any style was ever in the White House fleet though that doesn't mean it wasn't in U.S. Government service in some other manner.

I've been able to have a look (and drive a bit) this old lady this week-end. The serial number stamped on the car starts with 1801 followed by 4 digits (2017). I had a look to the "model info" pages, and I'm a bit puzzled, as I thought the first digits should have been the body number. Could it be that this car was numbered 1801-xxxx because it was built as a chassis to be bodied by Rollson, meaning shipped without any body at all?

The plate also tells the date and the destination, P.M.C.CO NEW YORK. Would P.M.C.CO stand for Packard Motor Car Company?

Your assumptions are right, the VN indicates it was the 17th 1801 chassis built for delivery to a coachbuilder - that's how chassis sales were numbered. Chassis sales units typically included the entire frontal nose clip thru the cowl, instrument panel and windshield.

And yes, Packard New York would have been the selling branch and the date would be the date of sale to the purchaser.

Gorgeous 1940! I've seen only 1941 Rollsons so it was a surprise to see a 1940. I just returned from France too but with all the interesting cars I did see, this was not one of them, unfortunately.

Edit: one thing I forgot to mention is that it has the early 1940 bumpers and a postwar hood ornament.

"In French, we say "Coup? de ville" (i.e. "Town Coupe")."

The severely squared formal lines are also known as a 'razor-edged brougham' or 'panel brougham'. It was an archaic style that harked back to fine horse-drawn formal carriages.

By the time Rollson built these, it was at the very end of the era when open-front town cars were still socially acceptable. Postwar, a more egalitarian world would look upon these as a quaint artifact of a bygone era.

Steve

Thank you for your replies! The car has a mph speedometer, but it seems to have been shipped to France during the 1940s. The owner says he has a picture of it in front of the US Embassy in Paris, during WWII (but this needs to be further investigated). For sure, the more I know about it, the better it is. I suppose there is no database listing the Rollson-bodied Packards.

And indeed, the body is really archaic, both in style and construction, it's all made of wood.

The club I'm a member of displayed it last week-end, together with my Patrician, for the Epoqu'Auto old car show in Lyon. The public was impressed by this body style, that is indeed more of a carriage than of a car.

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Fred, regarding your question on a Rollson/Rollston database, I've lost track of what has happened to the Rollson/Rollston archives, perhaps someone has current information. Fairly recently they were still in the hands of the Rudy Creteur family, owners of the firm which continued after the end of the coachbuilt era. I believe they had U.S. Navy contracts for maritime galleys and other sheet metal work during WW II and last I heard were still in business out on Long Island and run by Rudy Jr., grandson. Apparently their auto coachwork files had been ravaged by fellow hobbyists who had been allowed access, and some original materials just taken, the balance scattered about and disheveled. Thereafter I've heard they were understandably very reluctant to allow access. Where the remains have gone I'm not sure but I'd check with the CCCA museum at the Gilmore where the Derham, Judkins and perhaps and other coachbuilder files are available. If not, perhaps they are still with the family business.

A very good history at Coachbuilt.com with many references for further research.

PS - Current information:

Rollson, Inc.
10 Smugglers Cove
Huntington, New York 11743
Phone 631-423-9758
Rudolph Creteur, President

Quote:



image sources
#1 - Photo courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection and used with permission. Photo taken 1906.
#2 - i.pinimg.com; photo taken 1963.

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