The Tour Begins

           The Citizen's Motorcar Company is officially known as America's Packard Museum for good reason. The moment you step in and are greeted by a Concours quality 1936 Packard Twelve Model 1407 Speedster. The car is a one off model, based on the classic Packard chassis with their Packard Twelve engine that had been tweaked to produce more than 200 horse power.

          What really sets this car off, though, is that it is a custom boattail design from Fernandez and Darrin. These two were noted for their work on such automobiles as Bentley, Maybach, Mercedes, Bugatti, Duesenberg, Rolls Royce and other luxury lines. Mostly they concentrated on building limos but this Boattail speedster is a beautiful piece of machinery.

          Designer Howard Darrin dissolved his partnership with Fernandez, left Paris and returned home to Hollywood, CA. There he set up shop and proceeded to make 16 Packard Victoria Convertibles. Here is a 1938 Darrin Super 8 Victoria Convertible.

          Packard has had a long history of developing spectacular engines. As one of the oldest car companies in the USA, having been established in 1899, Packard was noted for the quality of their motors. Initially using a large displacement six cylinder engine, they, like many luxury brands who were spurred on by Cadillac's growing infatuation with size, were soon up to using a massive V-12. This 1932 Twin Six Phaeton with a body by Murphy, is an example from the first year Packard used this 445.5 cubic inch engine that generated 160 horses and pushed the car to over 100 miles per hour.

          Also in 1932 Packard released the Ninth Series of its Standards and Super 8 models. Though  in the grip of the Great Depression, Packard managed to sell over 8700 cars that year. Most, though, were the cheaper, entry level model dubbed the Light Eight. Here is an example of a 1932 Club Sedan. Originally this car sported a phaeton body but an owner replaced it with a Twin Six Club Sedan body that had become available.
          Here is an example of a 1914 Packard 4-48. It is believed that fewer than 10 survive today. This is a Concours car and it's easy to see why. With a massive 525 cubic inch L Head inline six engine that produced all of 60 horse power, this car featured standard items such as a speedometer, a clock, a horn, and a power tire pump. In 1914 it retailed new for $4750. Luxury indeed.