Vehicle Description
By the time Packard's Sixth series had hit dealership floors,
Packard was well established as the undisputed king of the American
luxury car marketplace. Mechanically, the Sixth series was tried
and true Packard. A robust and beautifully engineered chassis
featured conventional suspension, powerful four-wheel mechanical
brakes and Packard's proven 384 cubic inch inline eight, delivering
120 horsepower. A 3-speed manual transmission with synchronized
gears made for a very easy and pleasurable experience for driver
and passenger alike. Packard's reputation for quality was virtually
unsurpassed, and for the sixth series they continued to offer their
loyal clients a huge variety of body styles to choose from, from
formal and conservative to sporty and sleek. No fewer than
twenty-one body styles were available on the top-range Model 645.
Of those bodies, eight were standard factory styles while a further
thirteen were from the semi-custom catalog. Rollston, LeBaron and
Dietrich each offered these semi-custom bodies with Dietrich
designs counting among the most sporting styles. Ray Dietrich had
worked as a draughtsman for LeBaron before breaking off to form his
own firm in 1925. Some believe he was canned after spending too
much time dreaming up his new business plan whilst on LeBaron
company time. Regardless of the circumstances, Dietrich was a
talented designer responsible for many of the finest bodies of the
period. His time at the firm that bore his name was short-lived,
however; he left in 1930 as the Great Depression took its hold on
the custom coachwork industry. Thankfully, his short time was
marked with a number of exquisitely designed and constructed
automobiles, his work being favored by a great many Packard
clients. This 1929 Packard Custom-Eight wears a very attractive and
desirable Custom-Catalog roadster body by Dietrich. A top of the
line model, it rides on a grand 145.5 inch chassis, which lends the
signature long rear deck equipped with a rumble seat. It is one of
just 2,061 645s sold, a mere fraction of the 35,000 total Packards
produced in 1929, making it among the rarest of the sixth series.
This example wears an attractive older restoration that has been
well-maintained in good order. Paint quality is good, with a tan
main body contrasting chocolate brown fenders, chassis and feature
lines, accented with orange coach stripes. Panel fit and alignment
is very good, and the paint shiny and attractive, with only a few
minor blemishes from use. The restoration appears to have been done
to a high standard, the car winning awards at the Meadowbrook
Concours d'Elegance in the 1990s. The chrome is in generally good
order, though it is beginning to show some slight pitting in
places. Accessories include a Goodess of Speed mascot, dual
sidemount spares with polished covers, and a golf-bag door. Depress
Beam headlamps in chrome are supplemented by a pair of Trippe Light
driving lamps, chrome cowl lamps and dual C.M. Hall spot lamps. In
1929, Packards still could be had with wooden spoke or solid disc
wheels, however this car wears a set of beautiful chrome wire
wheels, an $80.00 option in 1929. The wheels are freshly detailed
and shod with new whitewall tires. With its light patina, it still
remains a very pretty car, as well as an imposing one on that long,
145.5 inch wheelbase. The sporting cockpit is trimmed in very nice
dark tan leather which still presents very well, particularly
against the body colors. Dark tan carpet is simple and tidy, and an
alloy pyramid-pattern floor board surrounds the shifter and hand
brake levers. Being a roadster, it wears a fairly basic convertible
top which is in good order, trimmed in brown canvas. A matching top
boot and side curtains are included, also in good condition. Behind
the big original steering wheel, the instrument panel is correctly
finished in woodgrain paint over steel, with original gauges,
including the Jaeger clock, in good condition. Door panels are in
very good condition, capped with attractive wood trim. Packard's
big 384 cubic inch straight eight is in good condition on this
example, with the block and head finished in correct Packard green
over a natural finish crankcase. The engine shows a bit of wear
from regular use on the finished surfaces, but remains tidy and
appears to have been well-serviced. The firewall and accessories
all appear in good condition and the Packard body tag and ID
numbers are intact and visible. Overall, this is a very attractive
yet usable Packard 645 that has benefitted from a good quality
restoration and has been well-maintained since. It would make a
very fine choice for touring given its condition the performance
characteristics of the Sixth Series. With its massive wheelbase and
desirable, stylish Dietrich coachwork, this handsome Packard
captures the essence of the late-twenties sportsman.