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I've been looking at that 1934 beautiful Touring (no, it's NOT a phaeton) on eBay. A really desireable car with what appears to be impeccable paint, chrome and interior work. But what a shame it has so many incorrect features - makes you wonder how someone could spend that kind of money for an obviously high-$ restoration and ignore so many details. I'm commenting not to pick, I'd love to have the car in my garage, but I think it's important for the historical record that correct details to be noted. Here's a few of the items I noted.

Incorrect ignition coil setup (should be dual coils mounted on the head), incorrect generator brush cover and regulator, crankcase scupper mounted backwards, horn screens missing, trunk rack support stantions missing, rubber inner tube valve stems (should be nickel), dash wood graining wrong, instrument panel bezel has the wrong finish, spark plugs, wires and terminals incorrect, copper gas line, correct oil filter missing, decorative engine plating should be nickel, not chrome (ditto for some of the interior plated hardware), wrong fan, incorrect starter solenoid. I'm also not certain but believe the Adonis radiator cap was not offered for 1934.

I'm submitting this fully expecting to be taken to task, so I've got my body armor on.

EDIT: Also just noticed the suspension springs are missing their metal covers.

It's better than this one: 1937 Packard

And on this one, I noticed some MAJOR photoshopping for slightly rusty areas: 1934 Phaeton


I'm assuming this last one is the car you're talking about. I'd be wary of this one. If you look at the engine pics, starting at I think it's the fourth engine pic of the driver's side, you'll see a little green splotch towards the front of the head where the head meets the block. After I noticed this, I noticed a lot more "photoshopping", some of it REALLY bad and obvious. I showed it to the wife, and asked her why anyone wanting over $100,000 for the car would need to photoshop the car this badly and obviously?? She didn't have an answer either, other than "I could have done a better job than that!" LOL!

This is what I mean (Think they'll give you money back if you bring the pics and start complaining? LOL!):

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Owen, If I ever take my Super Clipper to a Packard show I will be sure to check to be certain you won't be there (just kidding!). My Clipper has several faults with its historical accuracy that I mentally struggled with when I restored the car as I am, like you, fussy about preserving antiques as correctly as possible. In my case I simply did not like the colour the factory painted the car and since it had already had two previous repaints I did not have to worry about preserving original finish so I chose a colour that I liked and had it painted car with base/clear coat . Similarly since the interior needed replacement I chose a modern fabric at about 1/3 the cost of correct pinstripe broadcloth which I also didn't much care for. I suppose that I should have done the right thing from a historic accuracy point of view but I chose to "restore" (maybe not the right word at this point)the Packard to my personal taste. I wanted the car as a driver for mostly local shows and pleasure trips and not to take to concours meets or Packard Club Nationals etc. With the exception of radial tires. relays in the wiring for the halogen headlight converions and the mentioned colour and interior mods the car is for all intents a fine example of a 1947 Packard Super Clipper. Did I do the right thing or should I have been more historically accurate despite my personal preferences and budget restraints? I did preserve swatches of fabric and purposely left a section of paint in the trunk intact for the next person to restore the car who may want it to be as accurately the same as Packard produced it.
The 1934 Packard touring car is a much more rare and valuable car and no doubt deserving of a more correct restoration by some professional restoration shop familiar with Packards of this era such as Hibernia or RM etc. but perhaps the owner didn't have the money to do so and had it restored within a budget by a less knowledgeable shop. It has it's faults as you listed but despite its shortcomings. it has been restored without damaging its possibility to be at some point brought to a higher level of historical accuracy and that is what is important. None of the faults are irreversible and some are just plain ignorance on the part of the restorer. Anyone with the disposable finances to purchase such a fine automobile should certainly do due diligence and have the car inspected by an expert such as yourself to uncover the historical inaccuracies before making an offer. I wish I had the money and garage space to own such a beautiful car even if it isn't 100% correct. I do appreciate what you wrote however and it is important that knowledgeable people like you document historic accuracy errors so that at least some examples of these cars can be preserved exactly as Packard produced them. Thanks for doing that here.

Clipper47, I do hope we run into each other at some Packard event, I do enjoy your well thought-out verse, your perspective on matters, plus your willingness to help others, you've been doing that for some time now. And I would enjoy looking at your car, and when you're looking at mine you could find a few inaccuracies as well. I'd even tell you what they were! But we aren't selling a high-dollar bona fide open Classic, one of perhaps a half-dozen to survive, and if we were I suspect we'd be more upfront about it.

Any chance you're going on the PAC Henry Joy Tour next month to the Finger Lakes of NYS? It's a bit of a haul from here in NJ, but 7 or 8 of us are going and I understand they have nearly 50 Packards registered for the tour. And how about emailing me a picture of your car? I've a friend with a lovely 47 Super Clipper, metallic gray over metallic blue (base coat/clear coat), with a nearly correct houndstooth upholstery but not in the original wool but in a modern polyester. And it looks great, one of my favorite cars.

I'll leave you a PM with my email.

Owen, Thank you for your kind words. Coming from you means a lot to me as Ihave a good deal of respect for you and wish I had 1/10 the knowledge of Packards that you have acquired.
I suspect that the owner of the '34 has a good idea about its faults and inaccuracies but by not being forthright and totally honest I don't know what he hopes to achieve. Surely anyone with the funds to purchase such a car would have it properly appraised or was P.T. Barnum right?

Here is a photo of my Packard parked next to another Howard "Dutch" Darrin iteration.

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A fine-looking Clipper, and I particularly admire the choice of blackwall tires, so period-correct!

Owen, Thanks for the compliment.

From PI there is a judging manual, it has enough detail, that you can restore the car fairly accurate. It really doesn't take that much more to do it correct, just knowledge.

Everytime I look at the pictures I see even more stuff wrong like markings on bolts heads, hex screws holding ID plate on firewall. But that woodgraining is awful.

One of these days, I'll get my car judged at a Packard meet. I assumingthe things found wrong on my car will easily be fixed.

Tbirdman

Owen: The 1934 Packard 1101 Touring used a 131.5 inch wheel base. It would have had to have two jump seats to make it a touring model, meaning seven passenger.

The 1934 Packard 1102 with a 129.5 inch wheel base would have been the five passenger model making it the Phaeton.

Am I correct? If not please correct me.


John F. Shireman