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

Quote:

It looks like Gen'l MacArthur has as many cars attributed to him as Jesse James has revolvers.

Plate info:

1472-2801
TEXAS MOTORS
GALVESTON 7 2 41


B67907 embosed in the middle of the firewall.

I hope this infomation may help.

Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

Well the 1472 would indicate that it is a 1941 Model 1903 Super Eight 160 Sedan Touring 5 passenger (127" Wheelbase and 356 engine-160 HP engine). The 2801 is the production number. The dealer name and delivery date follow. Hope this helps

I can't help much, really. Texas Motors was located at 2420 Avenue F, and a Samuel Boyd was the manager in that era.

Your VN decodes as the 801st "160" 5 passenger touring sedan built that year (or perhaps the 1801st, I forget whether the base number was 1000 or 2000 in that era). In total 1941 model production for the 160 series was 3525 cars distributed among 10 wheelbase/body style combinations, of which almost certainly the one you have was the highest production volume. Wheelbase for the 1472 is 127 inches, and initial list price is given as $1750, increased by $45 in June of 1941.

Why is there no Patent plate on the car?

What are the numbers on the fire wall for?

Is there any way to verify that the engine is original to the car?

The car cannot be 127 in wheel base because that would make it a 2 door coupe and it is a four door. It is not a limo style car, there is no divider window or fold out middle seats. I honestly believe the car to have a 138 in wheelbase. The car does have two ash trays under a roll up door in each arm rest with lighters in each, in the back seat.
I looked at the Packard model info and there is no 1472 model located on the list. Can this maybe be a mid year addition or would it possible denote a military modeled car?

I can't answer why there is no patent plate. One reason may be that some demented people like to remove them and put them up on eBay. But if there is no patent plate where did you get the # 1472-2801, the selling dealer and delivery date from? The patent plate should look something like the attached - if all the silkscreen paint were worn or polished off, you'd still see the stamped information. The vehicle # was stamped at the factory, the other information was to have been stamped by the dealer at the time of sale.

If by the numbers on the firewall you mean the large embossed number enclosed by a triangle at each end, it is a "thief-proof" or body serial number and isn't traceable to anything. It was simply there as an additional identifying number in case of theft. For a 1941 car it should begin with a 5 or 6, double check again on the first digit you give as an "8", this would place the car as well into the postwar era.

The motor numbers for each year and series are on this website so you should be able to verify if at least the motor is correct for the year and model. Your car should be a chassis type 1903 and the correct motor number would be between C-500001 and C-504550.

The 127 inch wheelbase would have been used for the 5 passenger sedan, among others. If in doubt, just check it with a tape measure.

To my knowledge there were no "military built" cars, just normal production cars commandered for military use.

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As pointed out by Dave and terrellda, the 1472 (5 pass 160 sedan) is missing from the 1941 Model Info pages. I just checked the reference material I used, and it's missing from there also. So I will try to track down all the specs, and get that updated. If anyone else has found any errors with the model info pages (other then production values and prices as every source is different) then please let me know.

Thanks!

Dave sent the information on the 1472 over to me, and it has been added to the Model Info pages.

Thanks!

Hello Terrellda,

Thanks for your question and for your USMC service in Iraq. You and all our troops are in our thoughts and prayers. Your original post is over a month old, but I did find a little more info on some Packard 160's bought by the Army in 1942. Hope you are near a computer to find this.

Acccording the book 'Packard,' by George H. Dammann and James A. Wren (page 387):
"Sometime in early 1942, the US Army bought a total of 487 Packards. Of these, 100 were junior chassis-only units which were stretched into 12 and 15 passenger vehicles, similar to airport limousines, for special troop movement within various camps. The other 387 apparently were One-Sixty models such as this, which were used both state-side and shipped to such places as Australia, the Pacific Islands, Europe, and Japan, for use by various high brass and base commanders. "

So your grandfather's Packard One-Sixty may be a stateside version of 387 Packards shipped world wide. They were customized to fit the particular needs of the Army in different locations. The authors include a picture of Gen Eisenhower leaning on a Packard Clipper in North Africa. They mention Gen Douglas Macarthur's Clipper that traveled to Australia, Fiji, and Japan.

On another thread (see link below) I mentioned the 'Atomic Clipper' being restored by the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in New Mexico. This Clipper appears to be one of the 100 mentioned above.
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=1817&forum=4

Perhaps your Packard was part of this procurement OR it may have been a from another order. Either way, enjoy your Packard traditions.

Blessings to you and your family.

Dan Leininger
VA Chaplain

Is there any way for me to acquire information supporting the validity of the car, I currently have, as being a military procured asset? I believe the car to have stayed stateside and possibly in the state of Texas around the Galveston area.

Thank you all for the information that you have supplied. I am really looking forward to returning home from Iraq and completing the restoration of my Packard. I just want to make sure I perform the correct restoration of the car.

David Terrell
SSgt,USMC
VMM-266

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