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While in California, I took a run down to the Blackhawk Museum which has a fabulous collection of meticulously restored cars. Amongst them is this 1933 Packard 1004 which looks to have the limo body. Badge on the side says it's a previous Pebble Beach winner. Not surprising, given the condition. Don't really care for the colour scheme, but guess it's original.

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Brian, back!

Car originally had a chrome radiator shell and those wheels are pure ghetto. The color is straight off the Rustoleum color card. Yuck.

In a bizarre twist, when hot rodders cut up Packards they keep the original chrome radiator shell, but the so called "historians" go in for the juvenile look. Sort the same as pasting SS stickers on a Corvair.

Yesterday I was looking at all the authentic Cadillacs for sale.

Hello Tim

I'm not surprised. You obviously know more about this than I do.

I think the painted radiator shell actually looks better and have seen quite a few others like this. Was wondering if it was a factory option?

Yes, the wheels do look out of place and I guess this car is too early for chrome wires even as an option. I have chrome wires on my 1956 Clipper, which it never came with. But they suit the car and I like the way it looks with them. Bit of bling!

This car obviously passed muster at Pebble Beach some time ago. Maybe the judges were not up on these things? We Australians would describe many of the cars which appear there as over restored. Some Australian-restored cars have been successful there too, but they were highly authentic. No Packards to my knowledge.

Cheers

Brian

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I weigh in as an interested bystander only, but I have seen a fair bit of mention lately of the 'radiator shell' being chromed or painted. Please forgive my neophyte status here, but is what's being referred to as the 'shell', the sheet metal between the grill and the hood? That's what I perceive it to be and just as an 'opinion', I think that whole section being chrome is quite gaudy and overdone. Having the grill louvers and small grill trim in chrome with the rest painted looks like the way it 'should be', to me. Like I say - just an opinion. Re the wire wheels, I DO agree those look out of place, but I have always been a 'factory wheel dressing guy' and never so much as put chrome rims or baby moon hubcaps on any of my younger-year vehicles. Factory, factory, factory...Chris.