Re: Anyone know Packard collector Nate Dawes?

Posted by John Harley On 2015/2/5 21:46:23

Friends

I met Nate in the early '90's. He spoke at an annual dinner of the lately departed Eastern Packard Club. He had just found a carton or two of his book someplace, albeit without a dust jacket, so he was selling copies. I had him autograph mine.

When he wrote the book, the postwar Packards were not highly regarded by many people. Literature on Packard was scanty until the Kimes book in the "80's, and what existed was focused on prewar senior cars. Nate's book was valuable for owners of postwar Packards.

This was one of the reasons for the founding of the EPC in 1964. Post war cars were always welcome there,as they were not in other cubs. Much of this was due the usual car club snobbery, but I also think it had to do with relative recent demise of Packard, which rubbed nerves a little raw for a long time.

I met Nate on a few other occasions, he is always friendly, cheerful and helpful as he is on the tv show.

Best

John Harley