Vehicle Description
1940 Packard 110 1800 Series 4 Door Touring Sedan
"This year something has been happening on Main Street all over
America. For increasing thousands of average income motorists have
discovered that they don't have to keep on buying ordinary cars,
they can one a truly fine car. Take the case of the Harry Browns,
typical Americans. Our close up shows their first eye opener - the
discovery that their neighbors in the modest house next door have
bought a Packard! A few days later, the Stedmans took them riding.
"Such a big, roomy car!" admired Mrs. Brown. "Watch her go." Said
Bill Stedman. Miles slipped by, hills bowed down, rough spots,
vanished magically." From a 1940 Packard print ad.
For consignment, a 1940 Packard 110 1800 series 4 door touring
sedan showing 9,617 non actual miles. The car has been owned by our
consignor for 15 years whose early task was having the engine
removed and rebuilt in 2011. There's been plenty of maintenance
since and new parts that include the heater, radiator, hoses, water
pump, and fan belt. The steering wheel wasn't just replaced, it was
sent to California for a rebuild and now is up to par!
Exterior
This regal ride is bathed in black paint which suits it well and
provides perfect contrast to the plethora of polished parts that
adorn the exterior. The tall vertical grille with an art deco crown
is flanked by side grilles constructed with finer gauge splines in
the shape of opposing castle doors. A unique configuration of
triple bumper guards line the chrome bar, each with a polygon
shaped red reflector just inside of fog lights. Stand out features
include the Goddess of Speed hood ornament, listed by Motor Trend
as one of the 10 most iconic ornaments in automotive history. More
Greek influence can be found on the crest of the engine vents which
is shaped like an Olympic discus, embossed with the "110"
designation and capping an incredible multi ported side vent. A
split window floats over the extended luggage compartment, flanked
by modestly flared rear fenders that wear diminutive tail lights,
underscored by a straight bumper with a painted Packard script
sculpted into the metal. Our closer look reveals some imperfections
that include areas of cracking paint, touched up chips and
scratches, untouched scratches, and some repainted areas.
Interior
Tan felt-like cloth covers all four inner doors and shows some
general looseness and occasional staining but is intact. The large
front bench wears broadcloth and does so well, sharing this
material and quality with the rear bench which enjoys side
armrests, a robe loop for your jacket, side strap handles, and gobs
of legroom with modern seat belts being added. In front is our
rebuilt banjo steering wheel looking mighty fine in mottled brown
and being the gateway to the original dash which retains hints of
the deco era with ridged trim, deco cream font, and taupe faced
gauges on a faux wood patterned panel. In the center, the barrel
tuning window of the AM radio is fantastic and flanked by numerous
metal and ivory buttons. Not to be excluded from the party, the
passenger gets a large clock on the glove box door with all the
deco trimmings of the instrument cluster. Under the dash, square
pedals are provided for brake and clutch and a heater box and
speaker are tucked up on the firewall. Low pile tan carpet covers
the floor and is accompanied by rubber mats, and the soft headliner
is in fantastic shape along with the windlace. The luggage
compartment is impressively large and lined in grey carpet.
Drivetrain
A clean and original looking 245.3ci L-head inline 6 cylinder is
behind the engine covers with a visible 2-barrel carburetor which
fuels the motor that puts out 100 horsepower. It's mated to a
3-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear axle with
4.30 gears. Drum brakes are found at all four corners.
Undercarriage
Generally clean and uniformly black underneath with some surface
rust on the X-frame, the underside also reveals a few drops of oil
on the rear differential and residual oil on the transmission.
Beyond that things are free of debris and grease and devoid of any
invasive rust. A single exhaust flows through a stock style muffler
before exiting via a chrome tip out back and suspension consists of
coil springs in front and leaf springs in the back.
Drive-Ability
The idea that this wasn't even Packards top of the line car at the
time is a bit mind boggling because it seems like a crescendo of
luxury and size. The comfortable bench allows you to row this boat
in a very comfortable setting and the L-head comes to life eagerly,
utilizing some of its 100 horses to roll us out on the test loop
where a smooth ride with power on tap and wonderful visibility is
provided. The 16-inch wheels and their white wall tires carry this
tall car with grace and we're happy to report that all functions
operated as they should. While Classic Auto Mall represents that
these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we
cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of
your purchase.
The often whimsical and colorful brochure for 1940 leaves no stone
unturned in explaining what's special about the 1940 Packard. If
you read it back then and still purchased a Buick or Ford, it was
probably out of brand loyalty rather than appearance and
performance. Here we have a well sorted and certainly show worthy
Packard that after some cosmetic TLC, would be an absolute rock
star of a classic. We'll conclude with a quote from the brochure,
"Take off in a One Ten and in quick succession, you'll encounter
new pleasures that you didn't know belonged to motoring."
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
