Packard Forum Index » General

I created this thread in the General Forum rather than the V-8 Forum for a reason which will become apparent.

Like most Packard owners, I like driving my 55 Patrician around. Today, I was running errands and stopped at the local gas station to fill up. As I was driving away, a blonde in a new red Corvette was coming the other way. As we passed, she leaned out the D-side window and yelled at me: "Nice car!" I, of course, yelled back "Thanks!"

At least two things to note about this quick encounter:

1) The blonde was apparently a "car girl."

2) She liked a good looking collector car when she saw one.

No, I did not get her phone #.

The point of this post is to solicit other long or short encounter stories from fellow Packard owners. As my friend KevinAZ says, "There's no such thing as a quick trip to the store in a Packard."

Craig

We were in a local shopping centre with my girlfriend. My 55 400 was parked in the parking hall. When we were done shopping and went back to the car I noticed something under the windshield wiper. First I thought it was a parking ticket. Instead someone had left me a very nice note which (roughly translated from Finnish) said: "One of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen. A magnificent car!" I was quite happy for the rest of the day. :) And this was before I got the Packard painted!

I was out in my 56 Patrician. When I came out of the store, I saw a man looking at the car. He asked if it was mine. I said yes. He then asked " What year Lincoln is it?",I guess he missed the bold gold letters that he was looking at that said PACKARD.

My most recent story involves an elderly man and his wife looking over my 39 as I walked out to a parking lot; upon learning I was the owner, the smiling man quickly acknowledge the car as a Packard and shared his personal story of growing up with a 39 as his parents car. I opened the door, offering to let him get in, hoping to ignite some memories for him.
He peeked inside and said, "I haven't seen that dashboard in so many years!" The smile never leaving his face, we talked for 20+ minutes about his memories of it.

This type of encounter, in which I can help spark the memories of someone of the older generation, is perhaps my favorite. A close second is when youngsters take such an interest.

Rids are always free.

Pat

Good Morning...We have a 1949 Deluxe named 'Miss Prudence' and she is used quite a bit now that she runs cool and has had lots of parts replaced. The Max Merritt people have been most patient with me over the last few years. Nicole and Jackie in the office are fun to talk to. Not long ago, I took 'Miss Prudence' to ACE Hardware. When I came out there was a little old lady standing next to the car from the retirement home across the street. She asked if the car was mine and I said 'Yes'. She asked if she could sit in the back seat. I opened the door and helped her in. After a couple of minutes, she climbed out and said 'Young man (I'm 68) you would not believe the memories I have from one of these Packards. I just said 'Yes Mam' Ernie

1999 Warren Ohio Packard Centennial. The first showing of our freshly restored 1947 taxi. While talking to a group of enthusiasts about the taxi I noticed a elderly gentleman getting as close to the car as possible while being very careful not to touch it to get a better look inside. I excused myself from the group and asked the gentleman what he thought about the car and he replied that he used to ride to work in one just like this. I opened the door and invited him to climb in and see if it felt right. I had to explain to him that it was my car and that it was ok and I would be honored to have him try it out. I joined the group again in conversation (a little bragging) and noticed the gentleman exiting the back seat and went to assist him. He got out and I asked him if it met his approval and without saying a word he looked up at me with tears flowing smiled and walked away.

I have never taken my clipper anywhere where people haven't come up to me with comments,questions or to reminisce.It's one of the few hobbies where a total stranger will come up to you and start a conversation.You definatley can not be in a hurry driving a Packard.
I had a very touching incident happend this past summer at the Willoughby Ohio cruise in.A lady came up to me,and through her tears she told me that earlier this year she had lost her dad.She told me that her dad owned a car just like mine when she was a kid. She said she was at the end of the row of cars when the sun reflected off the windshield and caught her eye.I asked her if she wanted to look inside the car and opened the door and walked away so she could have her privacy.Cars can be very fun and they evoke an extremely strong emotion.

spfan



mentor ohio