I wonder if I might be one of the youngest current Packard owners,

Posted by Orange-Lark On 2024/7/1 20:55:08

I have purchased this car last year as the fallout with big three was inevitable. So this car serves as the replacement of my '95 Cadillac Fleetwood. (I have the Fleetwood since early college years and it becomes more symbolic in recent years as the car becomes older and more as an antique than a summer daily car)
Among the more feasible replacements, options were Daimler DS420, senior Packard, Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire or Studebaker President (some of the lesser feasible considerations include Jaguar XJs, GAZ-13 Chaika, GAZ-12 ZIM, ZIL-115, ZIL-41047, Nissan President PGF50, Mitsubishi Debonair, Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, AMC Ambassador, etc)

Daimler DS420 was ruled out as upon a closer assessment, as driving it seems to be highly unpleasant. Studebaker President was ruled out due to their current market price (50k USD) and platform sharing with far cheaper models. The remaining two seems to be rather straight-forward for choices. (Even though I quite like Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire a lot since a 5yo, upon seeing it in a car show)

The car is in an excellent mechanical condition, albeit not driven much for 20-25 years. It seems to me, after the restoration in the '90s, the car spent most of the time symbolically, until the owners seemed to pass away during the COVID. The auto broker loved the car so he kept it for a while until someone else wanted to buy it (and turned out the person is me), next to a few Mercedes SLs, Messerschmitts and few more Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs (identical model like my Fleetwood, with different exterior colour and a vinyl roof. Condition isn't as good due to the softer leather and cosmetics)

I currently drive it locally when the weather is good (at least when I head out) and other driving purposes have other cars taken place.

I do notice most current Packard owners seem to be far older than me.






In the first picture, I managed to buy the factory blank keys and got them cut for use. The keys came with the car were older, generic. And I have to buy a few hubcaps as some of them were a bit too dented.
The underneath is one of the best I've seen in my life, strangely. I wonder how.

Taken during the last days I drove it last year.


About where I grew up, it is a bit obvious in this photo.