Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I just came across Packard production codes for 1953. Probably not much difference for 1952 as the car numbers would be 25th Series in the limos. Perhaps builders plate is still attached to the car.

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Stephen, thanks for contributing to our thinking about this vehicle. But perhaps you didn't read some of the early posts both here and on PAC Forum about this car - a major difference between 52 and 53 is that there were no factory-offered LWB cars in 1952. As to a builder's plate, that's what it's all been about since the first post - there is none. Just the Briggs BDN and the VN plate, both for a standard 1952 Patrician.

No Derham formal was cataloged in 1951 and 1952. We know that several exist including the White House car. Whether these were factory-sponsored "specials" or standard Patricians that owners subsequently took to Derham for "the treatment" remains to be determined - perhaps a combination of both occured. A review of the Board of Director's Meeting minutes, where such special were almost always discussed prewar, leads nowhere. They were too preoccupied with steel shortages, labor problems, impending Korean war shortages of critical materials, and just plain survival. Mr. Neal is digging into this more than I am, I'm pretty much just focused on the LWB car in NJ, the alleged Champion Spark Plug car.

I look forward to any other information or suggestions you may have.

I just reread the post of from the beginning. Had forgotten how this started off. I was struck by the gravel guards on lower rear doors. Looks like 1953 lower door trim to me.

And 1953/54 style rear bumper and trunk lock assembly.

EDIT. As has been posted before, the Briggs body number and vehicle # are both very low, from the very initial beginning of the 1952 model year vehicles. The coachwork could have taken so long to complete that by the time it was nearing completion the 1953 models were emerging and some trim changes were incorporated into the build. The time lag to completion isn't without parallels, look for example at the 52 and 53 RHD cars; they occasionally do have Briggs body numbers from the model year before the year in which the car was titled.

Off to see the car again today and take some additional measurements and observations.

FWIW the Winter 2011 edition of PI magazine features a 1951 Derham Packard owned by Mike Harrah. It has the small rear window with leather padded roof, the Derham nameplate on the front fender, no jump seats, no divider window, 127 in. wheelbase, and three bottle openers on the rear fenders. Shows what Derham was doing around then, although different in several ways from the car (or cars) in question here.
Ken

For those with interest in this topic, some new pictures and commentary can be found at:

packardclub.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1519&p=6465#p6465

Hi Dave

I just had a thought, it might be worthwhile contacting Hess & Eisenhardt or it's current successor to see if they have any records for '51-'52.

As this custom seems to have been built from a regular production '52 Patrician and no traces so far from the main suspect coachbuilders, this might have been initiated by the original owner independently.

Steve

Hi Steve - thanks for the thought and that idea certainly has merit and I'll try to follow thru. I don't think it will be that easy to locate where the records (if any) from the early 50s might have gone, H&E (Sayers & Scovill) was broken into so many separate businesses in later years; I think the last of them, O'Gara (armoured limos) is now also kaput.

But we'll give it a try.