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Hi to all.
I have a question regarding Packards and aluminium bodies.
My 1926 333 Limo has such a body.It is right hand drive so I presume it was made for Australian customers. The only steel sections are the scuttle, bonnet and fenders and running boards.
Were aluminium bodies made by a particular coach builder or were they a made by special request?
Does anyone else have an aluminium bodied Packard?

Hi Phil, welcome to PackardInfo.com.

I remember that your fellow-countryman Mal was talking about --> Holbrook-bodies, made of aluminium.

--> This way please to the mentioned thread. A couple of months ago I have seen a pic on PackardInfo.com with at least two aluminium bodied Packards standing side by side on display in a museum or collection but don't know where to find.

G'day Phil,
Normally I'd say to PackardInfo but having your '26 333 6 cyl Sedan Limosine already in the Register almost negates that. In regard to your question I can't help, the closest I can come is having seen a number of Packards on eBay with aluminium bodies, so I'll leave further comment to the more knowledgeable. I can however lend you a copy of "The Coachbuilt Packard" by Hugo Pfau if need be.

Gerd,

In your absence last month, after he flew up from Tasmania, I drove Phil up to see his Packard which is currently in a restoration workshop north of Sydney, see pic below.

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Phil, our member Alvin14 from Southern New Jersey owns a Packard with --> aluminium body made by --> Derham.





[picture source: Dave (Owen_Dyneto)]

Mal, on second sight, living in Australia and driving a Packard but not knowing you would mean to live in another Australia.

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Hi

Here in the U.S., aluminum was the metal of choice for most of the custom coachbuilder in the Classic Era prior to WWII.
It was a rarer material then, easier to form for one-off and small run bodies. Because it was lighter and less common, considered a somewhat more sophisticated choice for expensive custom coachwork.

Steve

Steve, your knowledge about prewar bodies is beyond any doubt. Please understand the following question as display of interest instead of disbelief.

Quote:

Is that statement also true for all-aluminium bodies or is the talk of single elements like hoods, fenders, window frames and cowl panels (often polished to achieve a special effect) but less often partial bodies and as distinct from composite aluminum and wood full body constructions (lightweights) ? la Brunn and far away from cast aluminium bodies ? la Pierce Arrow? To give two examples of leading prewar coachbuilders I don't remember seeing all aluminium bodies from Dietrich and Rollson.

As a side note I would like to mention that Kirchhoff worked with duralumin.

Custom made bodies were usually made of aluminum because it is easier to work with and form into shape. The additional cost was a small matter compared to the cost of the body.

Production bodies were stamped out on big presses and were made of steel.

The construction of your car is typical of a coachbuilt or special order car. The chassis was furnished by Packard with the fenders, running boards, cowl and hood. The rest of the body was made by hand.

Luxury car makers offered a catalog of custom body cars with bodies made by their favorite coachbuilders. Or the customer could order a chassis, have it delivered to his choice of coachbuilder and have a body made to his specifications.

In your case the body may have been made by an Australian coachbuilder. Are there any markings or maker's ID plate on the body?

If you show some pictures the real gone Packard experts should be able to identify it and tell you if it is a standard body, custom body, or something unique that did not come from the Packard factory.

Here are a couple of shots of the restored body work.
Thanks to Mal for supplying them.
The rear section was removed years ago to make the car into a ute or pickup. The body shape was generated by referring to diagrams in Hugo Pfau's "The coach built Packard". Byron York sent some very good photos of window and door sizes and body shape. We are very pleased with the quality of the repairs.
There was no coach builders plate on the remaining part of the body. It seems as if it was a coach built model or a special order.

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