Re: Kirchhoff Packard

Posted by 58L8134 On 2009/6/15 8:13:38

Hi West

Thanks for posting these photo, seems if I've seen this before in one of Hugo Pfau's Cars & Parts articles in the '70's. I looked through my issues but haven't found it.

Of Kirchhoff designs: reference Fred Roe's Duesenberg text, page 195 for a photo of Duesenberg 2208, J186. To my eyes, it looks like a Murphy design but stiff and lacking finesse. Compare with the early Murphy convertible sedan shown just above on the page of car 2146 J123, much nicer!

If this Packard hadn't been identified as Kirchhoff, I might have guessed Rollston by the fine mouldings and dropped C-pillar top well. I don't recall many Rollston convertible sedan, just the convertible victorias, this design looks similar to the quarter-window type on page 211 Duesenberg 2293 J272.

Of the Kirchhoff Duesenberg town car: its proof just because one has resources to have an elegant custom design doesn't preclude one from have a prosaic design built.
That body, other than the crude removable front canopy could be any old business sedan or livery car. But at least it's not as awful as Father Divine's Duesenberg Bus by Bohman and Schwartz!

Steve