Packard 3-35 Twin Six Transformable Town Car, 1920
Packard Six
Packard Six•
•12 مشاهدة
Chassis No.: 160326
$80,000 | High bid
- Odometer: 53,999 miles
- Engine: V-12
- Transmission: Manual
- Exterior: Black
- Interior: Tan
- Body: Transformable Town Car
- Featured at the 1920 New York Salon
- Originally delivered to A. Atwater Kent
- Bespoke coachwork by Fleetwood on a custom 145-inch chassis
- CCCA Full Classic
- Known ownership history
This 1920 Packard 3-35 Twin Six Transformable Town Car is entirely unique, having been custom built for A. Atwater Kent, the fabulously wealthy Philadelphia radio pioneer who also patented the modern ignition coil. An almost obsessive collector of fine automobiles, Kent was quoted in the Winter 1927 issue of Packard Magazine as owning “probably the largest fleet of Packards – 19.” Reportedly shown at the 1920 New York Auto Salon, as seen in a contemporary photograph, it features attractively styled bespoke Transformable Town Car coachwork by Fleetwood.
In Automobile Quarterly Volume 13, Number 3, published in 1975, prominent automotive journalist and Packard authority Beverly Rae Kimes included this exceptional town car in an article titled “Five Great Packards.” Kimes noted that it was “ordered by the Atwater Kent family of radio renown in 1919, delivered in 1920 and seen thereafter in only the best places … it was probably the haughtiest car in all Philadelphia.
It was special, from its wheelbase (145 inches, a specially prepared chassis 9 inches longer than standard) to its hood (again higher, longer than standard) to its bumpers (steel completely rubber-encased) to its collapsible top (converting it to a touring car) to its sparkling varnish … to its drum headlamps and disc wheels.” George Wendling, a former Fleetwood employee turned early automobile restorer, was quoted as having seen the car and recounted, “Ah, the memories it brought back.” The article included a beautiful color photospread of the Kent town car and reference to its unusual yet attractive disc wheels and special drum headlamps, the latter subsequently becoming standard equipment.
Another color photograph of the car, credited to Richard M. Langworth, appears on page 210 of the milestone history, “Packard: A History of the Motor Car and the Company,” published by Automobile Quarterly and edited by Kimes. The Packard was listed by its engine number, 160326 (believed to be an early replacement), with Martin L. Schaffer of Lafayette Hills, Pennsylvania, in the 1954 and 1961 Antique Automobile Club of America rosters. It was then purchased by early collector Stanley Tarnopol, a flamboyant Philadelphia furrier who reportedly drove the car from Boston to New Orleans in 1972. Tarnopol owned the car until at least the mid-1970s.
In the late 1980s, it was acquired by the Blackhawk Collection, where it was displayed with other such automotive treasures as a Bugatti Royale, a 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” and Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadsters, among many other great prewar cars. Hailing from the Don Williams Estate Collection, the Packard remains in impressive cosmetic and mechanical condition. Its older restoration, believed to have been performed in the early 1960s, resulted in its distinctive combination of beautiful black lacquer, red/orange disc-style wheels and sumptuous interior incorporating rich tan leather and fine woodwork.
A CCCA Full Classic with documented ownership history, this one-of-a-kind Packard Twin Six with bespoke Fleetwood coachwork qualifies for inclusion in any quality collection.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1095238/1920-packard-3-35-twin-six-transformable-town-car/
التكلفة
293,800 AED
