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Can anyone shed some light on a Packard with the following numbers?

Chassis no. 1701A-2177, Body no. 482230, Engine no. G413244C

Any help will be much appreciated

For starters, the engine number would indicate a 327ci engine out of a 1948 Super 8.

Your body number, <482230> is actually a body dash number or thief-proof number never intended as a real vehicle identifier though it would be possible thru records probably now lost to the ages. All it tells me is that the cowl stamping was made about 1/3 of the way thru the 1939 run.

As to the 1701A, the 1701 denotes a 1939 "120" or junior eight model. I believe the suffix "A" indicates that it was sold as a commercial chassis (i.e., without coachwork). Is it an ambulance/hearse or perhaps a limo? With local coachwork? Got any pictures of it? Another 1701A that I have some data on, 1701A-2136, was exported to Finland in 1939 as a chassis to be fitted with local ambulance coachwork. As a chassis, it would have been shipped with factory coashwork only from the cowl forward.

The second part of the vehicle number, 2177, indicates that it was 177th 1701A assembled (the starting number was 2001).

And if I can ask, is it a right-hand-drive vehicle? South Africa was an RHD destination, right?

Thanks guys. It is a hearse, and it is a RHD vehicle.

According to the info I have, it is a 1939 model - sad that the engine is not the original. I have attached a picture.

If you have any more info,it would be greatly appreciated

Sorry guys - can't get the pic loaded :(

Make sure the picture has a .jpg (NOT jpeg) extension or is one of the other formats supported and less than 2048k in size. When you browse your computer to find it, once found, click attach file and wait for the name to appear below the two buttons. Then, if your message is complete, click submit.

AAHH lightbulb. Here is the pic

Attach file:

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  (176.52 KB)

G'day Mike,

to PackardInfo, a very impressive looking Hearse! Please consider including it in the Packard Owner Registry, here on PackardInfo. There are a few South African members here, where are you located?

Thanks for the welcome. I am in Johannesburg

Any indications of who the coachbuilder was? If exported as a completed vehicle might well have been Henney, with whom Packard had an exclusive agreement for this type of vehicle.