Re: Packard-Bentley "Mavis"

Posted by HH56 On 2023/10/1 11:55:21

Whatever floats your boat. I remember sometime in the 80s Jay Leno drove a very similar looking loud and rough car to a PI meet. I think his was a Rolls conversion with some huge engine-- maybe Packard-- installed but surely not the same car even though Leno's wife is named Mavis. His car was apparently roadworthy. Not sure of distance but Leno said he drove on the freeway and city streets from his warehouse to the PI meet.

All the smoke and flames belching out of the PT engine reminds me of one of the WW2 movies with a sub theme leaning toward a slight comedic twist. In the movie the PT boat engines were always acting up and the guy assigned to take care of them was not much of a mechanic and in way over his head.

The captain would command start engines then lean over the side and watch for the color of smoke that billowed out as attempts were made to get them started. Often it took several tries with assorted blows of a hammer to some part of the engines between each attempt. When finally successful, the color and amount of smoke meant different things as to what kind of day it would be.

Depending on what he saw the skipper would yell down to the cook and tell him how to make the next pot of coffee and how much to fortify it -- meaning add a little or a lot of his private sippin whiskey. Since Navy ships are supposed to be dry 😘 that and the faces and comments the skipper made as the engines were started was meant to be the comedy.