To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Amelia
Island event, 6 - 7 March 2020.
Estimate:
$350,000 - $400,000
- Offered from the Keith Crain Collection
- Formerly of the John McMullen Collection
- Well-maintained older concours restoration
- Pebble Beach and Amelia Island Best in Class winner
- Classic Car Club of America Senior First Prize winner
Introduced in August 1933, the Eleventh-Series Packard Twelve
reflected a growing influence in streamlined design, and today they
are considered some of the most beautifully drawn and exquisitely
proportioned cars ever built by the firm. Among the roster of
available body styles, the Convertible Victoria on the
147-inch-wheelbase 1107 platform stands tall, with its svelte and
elegant lines that, as historian Edward J. Blend noted,
"represented a design high point" for its era. Fewer than ten
examples remain extant, and the majority of them are greatly
treasured by their owners and have remained in their hands for many
years.
The example offered here is believed to have been delivered by the
Earle C. Anthony showroom in San Francisco on 21 July 1934, as
noted on its reproduction firewall tag. It eventually passed into
the ownership of F. Gooding of Idaho, who began the restoration,
including having the engine rebuilt by the late, great
twelve-cylinder Packard guru Charlie Last. During Mr. Gooding's
ownership, the car was featured in the updated listings of Edward
J. Blend's The Magnificent Packard Twelve of Nineteen Thirty-Four.
Mr. Gooding eventually sold the partially restored car to the
well-known, longtime collector and enthusiast Gerald Greenfield,
for whom a complete two-year restoration was performed by Murray
Motor Car of Monroe, Washington.
Mr. Greenfield exhibited the car at the concours d'elegance at
Everett, Washington, and Forest Grove, Oregon, winning Best of Show
at each. This was followed by an appearance at the 1995 Pebble
Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it was awarded 1st in Class,
reportedly achieving a perfect score. The following year it was
purchased by the respected Michigan collector John McMullen and
would remain in his renowned fleet for a decade. Indeed, the
Packard was considered one of the centerpieces of the McMullen
Collection-no small feat in a gathering that also included a
one-off Murphy-bodied Cadillac and a Duesenberg. During its time in
the collection, the car achieved its Senior First Prize in Classic
Car Club of America competition and was judged 1st in Class at the
Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance in 1998.
Acquired by Keith Crain from the McMullen Collection in 2007, the
Packard remains in fine overall condition and has continued to add
awards to its roster, including a Lion Award at Meadowbrook in
2009; it also made a second appearance at Pebble Beach in 2010. The
quality of workmanship is still very clear throughout, including
the subtle silver highlights and blue striping of the ebony
bodywork, the supple dove-grey leather interior, and the black
Haartz cloth top; the fit and finish throughout is superb.
Additionally, the car is well accessorized, with chromed wire
wheels, a single Pilot Ray driving light, Lalique crystal Tete
l'Egle mascot, and a rare chrome luggage rack bumper.
Among the very finest and most frequently honored restored
examples, this superb twelve-cylinder Packard really is
magnificent-a surefire crowd and judges' favorite wherever it is to
be shown with its next caretaker.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am20.
