Incredible professional build. 100% steel, 502 Chevy, 700R4 overdrive, Air Ride, A/C, power windows, locks, seats, brakes, steering, even power cowl vent! Leather interior. Highly detailed, expertly engineered. Wow!
Built about five years ago, this incredible Packard is one of the most comprehensive builds we’ve ever seen. Everywhere you look there’s exquisite attention to detail and incredible workmanship and even if you’re not an expert, you’ll quickly see that this was an extraordinarily expensive project. The soft Sherman Blue paint is very handsome, offering just a hint of metallic and a deep shine that only comes from a great deal of time and effort. There’s also a ‘502’ callout on the hood, just to whisper to onlookers that there’s something special under the hood. Out back, the original taillights have LED inserts and a late-model third brake light was beautifully integrated into the rear deck just below the rear window. There’s still a lot of chrome and all of it was treated to show-quality plating during the build. The running boards are correctly restored, there’s an accessory grille guard up front, and a custom fuel door was installed on the rear fender for a very clean look.
Lots of money spent inside, too, with gorgeous tan leather upholstery with suede inserts for contrast. The power bucket seats appear to be from a late-model but they’ve been so heavily reworked that they may as well be one-offs. A custom center console was fabricated just for this car and it includes not just the Lokar shifter, but also the power window switches, a pair of cup holders, and even two A/C vents just to move a little extra air. Above that, you’ll find the digital controls for the computerized Air Ride suspension system and a powerful AM/FM/CD stereo with speakers hidden throughout the interior so you can hear them but you’ll never see them. The original dashboard was reworked and fitted with tan leather inserts and beautiful Classic Instruments gauges with brushed stainless faces, so they look vintage but not too vintage. Check out the original chrome duct ahead of the driver for the defroster, the discreet eyeball vents under the dash, and a full set of courtesy lights that work like they should. And if you do have guests, they’ll enjoy a full-sized leather rumble seat. A tan canvas convertible top folds easily and offers a beautiful chrome and oak frame and with a little practice, you’ll find it folds quickly and easily and seals up reasonably well. Power windows zip up and down and even the cowl vent is power actuated! It even includes a modest trunk that’s upholstered to match the interior with a custom Packard “P” embossed on the power-operated lid and a full-sized spare just for emergencies.
You did read that correctly, this small Packard packs a big motor: 502 cubic inches of Chevy V8, to be exact. With 500 horsepower on tap, everything this car does is completely effortless. It was not built to be a drag strip screamer, however, so it has good street manners. There’s a Cadillac air cleaner on top, painted to match the bodywork, and a big Holley 750 double-pumper underneath, so it’s got great throttle response out on the open road. The hardware is functional and well-finished, showing polished accessories, neat wiring and plumbing, and cool Sanderson exhaust manifolds that look cleaner than bare cast iron but don’t bleed heat and noise like headers.
Underneath, there’s a beefy chassis upgraded with a Fatman Fabrications subframe that includes polished stainless A-arms, air springs, and power rack-and-pinion steering. The transmission is a built 700R4 4-speed automatic with overdrive, which means that even with 3.55 gears in the 9-inch Ford rear end, it’s a superlative highway cruiser. The frame has been heavily reinforced to handle the rigors of the upgraded powertrain and there are zero squeaks or rattles inside, so it must be working. Power front disc brakes add confidence to the solid little convertible and thanks to the Air Ride suspension, ride quality is surprisingly good—it just ignores bumps that upset lesser cars. The exhaust is 100% stainless and much of it was polished to look good, and while it’s definitely got a big V8 rumble, it’s never annoying or too aggressive. You could go crazy trying to figure out the right rolling stock on a car like this, and while everyone else is doing the same old chrome wires, we think the 17-inch American Racing alloys look great, especially with staggered Goodyear radials.
The attention to detail on this car is extremely impressive, so don’t write it off as just a guy trying to be different by cutting up a Packard. Instead, call this an homage, a tribute that salutes the Packard heritage of quality, performance, reliability, and comfort. It’s beautiful to look at, very well engineered, and a joy to drive fast or slow. The massive amounts of money required to build a car like this can’t be overlooked and the next owner of this Packard will own a car that not only commands respect on the show field, but which will continue to delight him with unusual features and thoughtful touches. It’s a hot rod, yes, but it’s also a car, and that might be the highest complement we can pay it. This Packard is one heck of a car!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
