Re: 1940 Packard Super 8 160 Station Wagon (Cantrell) Factory Air Conditioning!

Posted by Brian Wilson On 2020/4/23 17:51:22

West

Yes, you're right. I watched the video and the owner was claiming it's the real thing. I wonder if he knew.

Not all auctioneers are so scrupulous in checking provenance. Of course, if they get it wrong, they're in trouble especially in the US.

The good news is that the truth about this one is now being told.

One of the (many) good things about this site is that such stories are easily uncovered by future buyers. If they're dumb enough to buy something unusual like this without checking then I would say they deserve to get taken for a ride.

There was a recent case here in Australia where an auctioneer insisted they had checked the provenance of a 1930 Packard 740 Roadster, and it was genuine. It was a beautiful job, but on a rebodied sedan. I know the guy who built it, and luckily so did the buyer. But the auctioneer still insisted it was genuine, even though the builder had earlier given them photographs of the original sedan from before he dismantled it.

There was another well known case in the US, where a non-genuine Jaguar D-Type was sold but the truth emerged later. It ended up in court and the buyer was compensated.

I think this "woody" is a well built and finished example, and pretty close to an original. As you say, not quite correct. Since it was created later - and presumably regardless of expense - it has been "improved" in some areas but still represents the period quite well. In my mind, this is way preferable resto-mods which are all the rage right now.

Brian