Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Trowt and Murray,the Packard dealer in Beverly Farms, MA delivered to a customer a 1939 Twelve 1707 five-passenger sedan, vehicle number 1233 2002. The car had special work done, either at the factory or subsequently, in which the rear-quarter windows were blanked out and the top covered with either leather or other fabric. A division was installed that had a non-lowering and raising stationary pane of glass, very unusual indeed. A Packard friend of this writer in MA owned the car many years ago and wonders what might have happened to it If this rings a bell to any reader, please reply. Thank you.

Hi Gunnison:

Sounds like a vehicle with a very interesting history, sorry I don't have any information on it's whereabouts but if it does surface, I'd just love to hear more about it and see some pictures.

I wonder if the alterations were factory-done, it seems to me Packard would have tried hard to simply convince the buyer to go for a formal sedan instead, thus I tend to suspect the changes were done post-sale. But then again, Packard would do a lot for a favored customer buying a senior car.

Sounds like a Factory FORMAL SEDAN with a story.

Hi Gunnison

Although I can't shed any light on the '39 Twelve you are seeking to track down, I did encounter a similar car at Hershey about a decade ago.

It was a black '38 Super Eight 1603 five passenger sedan 1103 that had the quarter windows covered in with the padded black leatherette formal top. Unlike the club sedan on which the formal styles were based, the upper rear corner of the door frame was left squared, not a radius as they were from the factory. Inside, a vanity had been inset into the quarter window space, the side panel upholstery matched to the factory headlining. A "Derham" body tag had been attached to the cowl, not in the place where they typically did so. Altogether, the workmanship wasn't up to Derham standards. Ones suspects the custom-work was done subsequent to fulfill an owner's desire for a bit more "class", or simply to deceive.

Steve