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This '31 Deluxe Eight 840 roadster was part of a local collection for decades. Sorry, but this auction slipped by my Packards at auctions radar, being very local is embarrassing.

Surprising is what it sold for: $69,620. I would have guessed at least twice that. Take a look at the photos, what would have been your guess on sale price?

cottoneauctions.com/lots/60298/1931-packard-model-840

Steve

That was a steal! But I have to say that prewar senior Packards have been getting softer in the last year or so.

Steve - I hate to 'poke the bull' on this one, as I know it is a sensitive subject, but could there have been any authenticity question marks or issues with this car? Are these not the same models that are regularly seen at $200K+??? It's the old deal - 'when it looks too good to be true'?!?!? Chris.

Hi Chris

I wondered this too, though I'd seen the car at shows back into the early 1970's. The body swapping really picked up in the 1980's as the value of open models escalated. Mr. Hopkins was a straight-forward type of person, had a '34 Twelve 5-passenger sedan and a '40 180 Darrin Victoria. I doubt if he would have had anything to do with a compromised car.

In this case, I think the low price results have completely to do with it being consigned to a local auction company that primarily deals in household antiques. The promotion was very limited, one surmises it didn't reach the proper audience.

I'll be surprised if it doesn't appear in the Hershey car corral priced significantly higher.

Steve

I don't think the car is a fake. The engine compartment needs work, but it does still have the original water jacket bolts.

I would be happy if the car went to someone who wants it rather than end up in the dealer merry-go-round with some absurd price the way countless other cars I follow have.

The only reason I don't pick up one of these relics is that Michigan roads are so bad there is no place to use it. When I move to another state with decent roads I will reconsider. I'm so tied up with engineering that will have to wait.

Thanks for the reply, Steve. If what you (and Tim) are saying is true, then someone got the score of a lifetime! I can only echo Tim's sentiment that I hope it is an individual who genuinely wanted the car as a keeper and who will care for and preserve it. I am a relative newcomer to the antique car world and was very happy to find my prewar Six at what I believe was a 'score' price. The 840 roadster is out of my range as a retired guy trying to balance inflation with a fixed income, but hopefully, that price made someone's dream car a reality. She IS a beauty! Chris.