Vehicle Description
This 1926 Packard 443 Phaeton is powered by a 384ci V8 engine
backed by a 3-speed manual transmission. This is a period
customization by coachbuilder Murphy with styling inspired by
Rudolph Valentino's Avions Voisin. Murphy undertook the task with a
Voisin radiator sourced from France, as well as special headlamps
and chromed Rudge wire wheels. The front fenders were modified to
suit the new radiator styling, while the hood was finished in bare
polished aluminum with chevron louvers. Other touches likely dating
from this work were a second cowl, a polished aluminum dashboard
and a Valentino-inspired mascot, a menacing coiled cobra, like that
famously fitted to the Great Lover's personal automobiles. For some
50 years, the car was maintained as it had been acquired, until it
was finally sold in 2012. The cosmetic restoration was finished in
Ultramarine Blue with rechromed wheels, and other refinements were
also undertaken. There are few more exotic Packards of the period
than this car, which is likely the only survivor of its kind with
period customization by the great Walter M. Murphy Company of
Duesenberg and Cadillac fame - and inspiration from none other than
Rudolph Valentino.
