Packard Forum Index » Packard Vehicles - For Sale, Wanted, Trade

This VanDerBrink auction at Beardsley, Minnesota, August 10, 2019 includes a '51 200 sedan with manual shift, Lot 101G:

https://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/catalog/?auction=5385

Chances are it will go very cheap. If you have a Contour that you'd prefer to change to manual shift, here's your parts car.

Steve

Here is a direct link:
https://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/lot-item/101g-2/

The last picture shows what looks like an overdrive relay on the firewall, at least the type of OD relay used in Studebakers of this vintage.

Steve, help me out on something (I apologize for my lack of Packard knowledge).......you said: If you have a Contour that you'd prefer to change to manual shift, here's your parts car.

What is a "Contour"? A nickname for a certain style of Packard? Thanks in advance.

Hi Paul

"Contour-styled" was the description Packard applied to the new '51 line at the introduction in the advertisements. The '48-'50 Packard were described as "Free-flow-styled" for their smooth modern look. Recall Oldsmobile employed "Futuramic" and Nash "Airflyte" to imply modern and progressive cars.

We use "Contours" now to encompass all 1951-'54 models as a shorthand description.

Steve

Thanks Steve. I figured there was a good explanation.

I had heard the '51 thru '54 cars referred to as a "high pockets" design, but that to me always seemed somewhat derogatory. I like 'contour' much better.

That would be QUITE the auction to attend! Some 180+ vehicles in the pictures to my count and many of them at least semi-exotic. Hard to imagine accumulating that many cars over a lifetime; not sure at what point it goes from 'collecting' to hoarding, but it would be nearly impossible to maintain or manage a fleet like that. For all intents and purposes, they would just sit there and go to rack and ruin; somewhat sad, really. Now maybe selling them off at auction, some of them can get new owners and fresh starts and head back towards restoration and usefulness. Chris.

This is like old car heaven.

Yes that was my reaction, too. A mouthwatering collection of cars only needing new owners and some sympathetic restoration. I've never seen a collection like that being sold off in one go.

It reminds me that we should move our collections on before we depart this earth. That way, we have a say in where they go. It's a bit sad to see this sort of collection being auctioned off after somebody has died. There's probably a similar stash of parts lying around somewhere.

The silver lining, though, is that some of the cars will go to people who can bring them back to their former glory, and not pay so much that they can't afford to restore them.

Cheers

Brian

How much did the car go for?