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

WELL i was 1/2 right. Fenders r light and body is light and dark. Date? Factory paint?

ebay.com/itm/1930-Packard-734-Speedster- ... DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5641e6eee2

Regardless. It's purely an awful idea weather Packard did one or not.

I love that factory picture!

I love the crooked bumper!

Once I was dealing with this madman who got all pissed off because I put a Packard together the way it was built. One tailight was slighlty different. Well he just held a grudge against me for not agreeing with him and refusing to cut down a nice original casting on a milling machine, and cutting up the original fender and special taillight housing bracket. I told him if he didn't like the way Packards were built he should buy a Cadillac. When it was done it looked like it had gone to a flat rate body shop for some insurance work. It was Terrible. A total butcher job.

A couple of months later in comes an original V-12 with original Packard lacquer and white striping, interior, chrome, the works; and crooked tailights from the factory.

Anyway, I always thought Bob Turnquist's 840 Individual Custom Dietrich looked great with light fenders and a dark body. That car was originally maroon body with beige fenders, but I thought the silver fenders was a better choice.

As for the Jepson touring car, Bea told me she hated what they did to it. I believe that car originally was a green or olive combo with either black or dark green fenders when new and dark olive leather. The original colors were hidden all over it when George had it so I really don't understand why it was so overdone. Nobody cares about originality. Well at least there is one Packard with the original colors - hint: it's red and has painted wheels.

However, Charlie Clancy's 37 Super Eight Converitble Sedan came brand new in baby blue, with Navy blue leather. It was a special order and so carried the Dietrich body plate.

Of course I can't afford this stuff, so I guess the hot rodders will cut everything up. And I've sure seen a lot of em.

I never cared for Turnquists color choice. Certainly a stunning restoration, and I love his leather. The car looks a lot better now with the black tires, but I still don't think putting a heavy dark color on top of a light color works. Makes the car look top heavy.

Nowadays, it seems those with money change the color of a car they just purchased to make it their own, so that it no longer is associated with the previous owner. The "red" car you're referring to with the painted wheels... Jepson's boattail? I was told that car was originally dark blue, which was evidently found during its latest restoration. We decided to keep it near to what George painted it, as it had been that color for 50 years. Not only did we keep it the same color, but the car is nicknamed "George." Someday, when we have money, we'll change the color and drop the nickname. Not.

A good friend of mine, a restorer and expert on Packards, made the comment to me one time: Packard was second to none for engineering, but their coachwork was crap!

You must be right because I saw a picture of it when it was blue. Then when I was talking to Bea one time she told me it was always red. Don't ask for the picture. It belonged to a long gone CCCA guy. When I saw that car it was so long ago that I can only remember it as dark.

However, red vs blue is a little different than testing the limits of garish.

I don't really think much about Packard engineering because my modern car gets me where I want to go. I worry more about the people who worry about how whether Cadillac was a better car.

Where would you have seen that picture, at the Jepson's home? Wish I had it now. Our files have zero pictures of the car before George restored it.

Kavenagh had it.

So what body worth more $$$$$$$$$$$. Think theres the

Phaeton
Sedan
Roadster
Runabout
Coupe

While I have a factory photo of a 734 "coupe", they never made one available to the public. What they offered was the coupe victoria, or 5-passenger coupe.

As far as which is worth the most, that's real tough to say since they don't come up for sale very often. This year a phaeton will be sold, and may break any known record for the model. Two or three years from now, a boattail (a real one) may come up for sale, and then it might set a record. Then another few years a roadster will break a record. The only way to know for sure would be if two or three came up at the same time, or within the same year.

The rarity of the closed cars would probably not rate them as being more valuable than the open cars. There is one coupe victoria known (rumors of a second body being in Australia have not been confirmed). There are only two sedans.

I do have a photo from the 1999 Centennial of Jack Nethercutt's Speedster coupe-victoria (coupe for 5 passengers). If any interest I try to could locate and post it. There was at least one of each style 7th Series Speedster represented - quite a thrill.