Vehicle Description
As the custom coachbuilding industry faded out of existence in the
early 1940s, American luxury automakers slowly discontinued the
factory-cataloged "semi-customs" that had topped their lines for
over a decade. Packard was among the last to offer bodies by
coachbuilders Rollson and LeBaron. The latter was a division of
Briggs by 1941 and still produced beautifully appointed and largely
hand-built bodies in limited numbers. Most of LeBaron's final
Packard offerings were formal limousines to be driven by
chauffeurs. However, only in 1941, they offered an "owner-driver"
variant, the Sport Brougham. This model was essentially Packard's
answer to the Cadillac Series 60 Special. Its striking design
featured narrow chromed window frames and a formal rear window on
the shorter 1907-series chassis, as well as a sumptuously appointed
five passenger interior. The engine was a 356 cubic inch L-head
inline eight-cylinder that offered 160 bhp. Other features included
a three-speed manual transmission with factory overdrive,
independent front suspension with coil springs, live rear axle with
semi-elliptical leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.
All this power sat on a 138-inch wheelbase. This 1907-series custom
Packard has a great history. One of only 99 Sport Broughams built
by LeBaron, this two-tone blue and silver model is one of only a
handful known to survive today. The provenance includes owners
George Oxford and Don Hanson, who sold it in 2001 to Tom Mix,
proprietor of the famous Foreign Motors Dealership in Boston,
Massachusetts. Mr. Mix made his living from selling new
Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce autos, but his passion was for
Packards, and he built one of the finest collections over a 50-year
span of the hobby. Many of today's award-winning Packards of the
1930s and 1940s can trace their history back to time spent in the
Mix stable. This 1941 Packard was in restoration at the time of
Mix's death, and the project was completed 2006 by Paul Adrich. It
has been driven about 2,500 miles recently on two CCCA Caravans and
for a total mileage of only 57,618 miles. With a three-speed manual
transmission with factory overdrive, this is a perfect vehicle to
continue touring. In 2016, the car was mechanically serviced by
Stone Barn Restoration including replacement of all lifter bodies.
The power windows have also been recently serviced with a new pump
and solenoids. To this day, this striking classic retains its
original engine as well as the original vehicle number tag on the
firewall.
