Packard-built Custom Car Records

Posted by Joe Santana On 2018/1/12 12:47:06

Hyman. Ltd has a 1930 734 Boattail for sale which, according to the description, was delivered to Mrs. Sealey on 7/7/30 in Portland, OR.
I've asked Hyman's and the Lyon Museum, which owned the car previously, for any info more about Mrs. Sealey. The Hyman description include VIN info, too.https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6033-1930-packard-734-speedster/

But I'm wondering if anyone has build order records for custom cars like this 734 to see if it was ordered at announcement time, like Aug 1929 before the Crash, but took a year to build. Or if, by spring of 1930, the person who ordered it cancelled the order and the car was offered at a bargain price.

I've seen articles stating that wealthy people, if they managed to preserve their wealth after the Crash, were not inclined to drive around in flashy, expensive cars even though they could afford them. The 734 Speedster would certainly have been in that category. Even more so in Portland.

I'm planning to visit the Oregon Historical Society archives today to do some research on Mrs. Sealey, who must have been quite a woman with a car like this.