New acquisition: 1931 Packard 840 DeLuxe Eight Phaeton

The Louwman Museum has managed to acquire a magnificent Packard in a fantastic color scheme and excellent condition.

The American auto industry was hit hard by the Great Depression in 1931. Packard operated in the top segment, and its future, like that of its competitors, was very uncertain.

Although Packard normally supplied high quality chassis to various coachbuilders with success, Macauley, the companys president at the time, decided in 1931 to start producing the bodies in house from then on. The designs of their own bodies were unmatched, and the quality was at least equal to the work of specialized coachbuilders. The optimal tuning of chassis and body resulted in better efficiency and the necessary higher margins.

The 8 Series was produced for only ten months in various body styles. In particular, the Sport Phaeton bodywork shown here combines style, comfort and extremely high quality, making it one of the most attractive, well balanced and practical designs of its time.

This example left the factory equipped with an extremely rare car radio and steering Pilot-Ray headlights.