Harry's Thoughts
THE ESSENTIALS
This is a gorgeous 27,000 mile fully restored and concours ready Super Eight Convertible Sedan. This is one of the finest examples of this rare body style in existance.
The known history of this Packard commences on January 11, 1964 when Dr. Mortimer Bloom from West Orange, NJ had the car judged at the Classic Car Club of America 12th Annual Meeting at Buck Hills Falls, Pennsylvania. The Packard was awarded a Senior badge, Number 205, and scored 92.25 points in the Custom Late class (Dietrich’s were considered Custom until later in the clubs history).
The Packard was white with black fenders and had the optional chrome accessory package including the sidemounts, headlights and taillights. (According to Bob Turnquist, if Dr. Bloom could chrome his daughter, he would.) The restoration work was performed by James Tsuscinsky of Garfield, NJ.
Shortly after being awarded the Senior Badge, the Packard was sold to the Packard collector Ernie Snyder from New Jersey. Mr. Snyder used the car frequently for family drives and outings and by the late 1960’s repainted the car yellow with red leather interior and retained the chrome accessories. The car had recorded a total of approximately 27,000 miles. After approximately 30 years ownership Mr. Snyder sold the car to Harry Clark.
Harry bought the Packard on April 5th, 1993 needing a complete restoration. The yellow paint was deteriorated and the leather was dry. The engine ran, but needed a complete rebuild.
The Clark’s commenced a full restoration in 1994 that was finished by 2001. Amazingly, the body required almost no repair. There were virtually no dents or other damage to the sheet metal. The restoration was completed by the Packard specialty restoration experts at Custom Auto Service in Santa Ana, CA.
Since 2001, the car has been shown at the Packard’s International and CCCA events. At the 50th Anniversary Annual Meeting for the CCCA in San Jose, the Packard was acknowledged as having the lowest Senior badge number, being the 205th motorcar in the Club’s history to be awarded a Senior badge.
At the 2002 Packard’s International Annual Meeting, the Convertible Sedan scored one of the highest scores in PI’s history with 2451/4 points and became a Circle of Champions member. In 2003, the Packard scored 99.5 points at the CCCA Grand Classic in the Premier Class, having now received all the CCCA award badges. At both meets the windshield wipers malfunctioned causing the respective point deductions. This malady has since been corrected.
The Packard has been preserved and has awaited the opportunity to be shown at Pebble Beach. It has covered less than 50 miles since restoration awaiting its final display on the lawn. This is a motorcar that can still enjoy concours competition and ultimately be used for extensive touring, including CCCA Caravans!
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