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

The car is a 1935 Packard 120 Business Coupe, model designation 898. Under normal circumstances the data plate would be stamped 898-xxxx. I speculate the plate photo'd is not original to the car, or there is some oddball reason for that plate. I would be curious as to the engine number ,and others are curious as to the stamped number upper center of cowl/firewall to see if either of these numbers make sense, as production sequence data.

for including your '35 One Twenty Business Coupe in the Packard Vehicle Registry.

Following up on what others have said, I would guess that someone took the tag from a car they had a title for but was junk, and stuck it on yours to be able to title it. Can you post a more zoomed out picture of the VN plate?

And to reiterate what Don said, the Theft Proof number is on the engine side of the firewall, near the top, probably towards the drivers side near center. The letters are like an inch high, so it's easily spotted unless it's obscured by equipment mounted to the firewall. But bring a flashlight anyway 😀

Two things how do you change or edit in the registry, also here is a picture,, engine number is A313252 I think it is a 38 eng?

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Hmm so the Theft # is 199712... I believe this would be in the 1935 range but Owen could confirm. It's definitely not in the 1936 range, which is c.221420–278420.

I think it's safe to say that your car passes the duck test for being a 35 coupe.

The plate looks like it was attached reasonably, but the biggest thing I notice is that the wear on the plate does not match the car. I suspect that someone may have swapped the plates the same time they repainted the firewall. Nothing too much to be concerned about even if this did happen, because no one aside from experts on these cars will be able to tell, and it's not even that uncommon.

The theft-proof number would place the body within the first third of 1935 120 production. That the patent plate is attached with rivets is an indicator that it is not an original factory placement.

Quote:Mark,

You should be able to go into your Registry entry, click on the "make changes" link at the bottom left of the entry, make your changes, then click on the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page and Voila, there you are.

Thanks everyone, still wondering why VN don't decode, with whatever that the number is

Simple answer: the "decoder" as currently developed was designed to decode the VN for many completed vehicles, but not for chassis sales destined for subsequent coachwork by others, and several other categories of vehicle numbers.

Please review the explanatory notes accompanying the decoder. You will see some of the situations listed for which it is not applicable, including the situation presented by your VN.