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I'm considering buying a 1939 model 1700 four door. I'm not new to cars or antique cars but I don't know anything about Packard's other than they as very good looking machines.

Tell me what I should be aware of if you can with a 1939 six cylinder model 1700. First thing I noticed on the engine is the paint was scorched in the middle cylinders meaning it must have got super hot at one time or it runs hot in the middle. Paint color is much darker then the rest of the engine. See the attached pic and let me know if this is normal or something to be concerned about, thanks

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Welcome to Packarding! My first Packard was a 1939 1700 so has a certain fondness to me.

For your question, the scorching looks to have been a carburetor fire or something external as I can’t image the head getting hot enough to scorch the paint like that. It may be a good investment to buy an infrared thermometer through Harbor Freight, Amazon or one of the others to verify the temperature, though, before any real damage is done. They are quite inexpensive and easy to use - you just point them at the area to measure..

G'day Billy,
As was said, to PackardInfo.

And I invite you to include the '39 1700 Sedan in the Packard Vehile Registry when/if you purchase it.

Another vote for a fuel spill from the carb and a small engine fire at one time, nothing to do with the engine having gotten too hot. Basically, it's a six-cylinder tractor motor. They're easy to work on, reasonably easy to find parts for (depending on what you're looking for) and that's a good one to start off with. Usually quite a reliable car. Good luck!