Vehicle Description
Mostly original car with one older repaint. 137 inch wheelbase, 320 cubic inch straight-8. Engine rebuilt, fresh carburetor and fuel pump, new Lester WWW tires. Ready to tour!
This handsome 1934 Packard 1101 Eight 5-passenger sedan is one of those great finds that you always hope you’ll discover. A mostly original car with a single repaint perhaps in the 1960s or 70s, it remains fully functional and usable, yet carries a reasonable price tag. If you’ve longed for a ’34 Packard (and who hasn’t?), this is a great find.
The two-tone blue paint combines traditional Packard Blue for the fenders and trim, with light blue bodywork that looks attractive without diminishing the car’s impressive size. It must have been an excellent job when it was done, because it’s holding up quite well, with very few age-related issues and certainly no signs of bad prep or inferior bodywork underneath. All four doors open and close with the kind of ka-CHUNK sound that is so pleasing in old cars of this vintage, and the hood snugs down easily. The chrome is a combination of original and re-plated parts, with the bumpers and headlight buckets being quite nice and things like the grille shell and taillight housings showing some very minor micro-blisters that indicate 1934 chrome. Nothing stands out as too nice or too deteriorated, and it’s worth noting that the car includes two hood ornaments, the current “Lady with Donut” that’s installed, plus a simple chrome cap that was probably standard equipment.
The interior is unquestionably original. Every soft surface is wrapped in dark olive green Bedford cord that gives it an understated elegance. Obviously there’s some heavy wear on the driver’s seat, with a few splits and thin spots, but the rest of the interior is very presentable, particularly the back seat area. There’s no strange odor and the seats are firm and comfortable enough for touring, and we’ll let the next owner decide how to proceed. The original gauges are simply beautiful and they are all functional save for the fuel gauge and the clock, which isn’t unexpected. They all light up brightly with the headlights and the slender needles move back and forth as they monitor the engine’s vitals. The steering wheel is in excellent condition and the headlight controls, hand throttle, and horn all work correctly. Overhead, the headliner is in exceptional shape, so I’d hesitate to replace it, and we have two newly rebuilt vacuum wiper motors ready to be installed. Even the dome light works!
The engine is Packard’s famous 320 cubic inch straight-8, which in 1934, made 120 horsepower. It’s silky smooth and has impressive low-end torque, so you almost don’t have to shift at all around town—it’ll pull a stop sign in high gear. It was rebuilt a few years ago and more recently was treated to a valve job, and the head and exhaust manifold were painted at the same time. The carburetor and fuel pump were rebuilt and the gas tank was cleaned out, making it a reliable runner today. It makes plenty of oil pressure and stays below 180 degrees even in 90-degree weather.
It appears that the chassis is entirely original and a bit grungy, but it’s certainly not rusty and all the original components are there, including the adjustable shocks and vacuum brake booster. It appears that the rear shocks are newer, but we have not been able to discern if the adjustable ride control is operational—is there a lot of difference between settings or not? The brakes were serviced in the not-too-distant past, although the vacuum assist is not currently operational, so the pedal takes a bit of effort. Steering is good, the car tracks straight, and hums down the road easily thanks to 4.36 gears out back. New 17-inch Lester wide whitewall tires have just been fitted and have less than 200 miles on them, so it’s ready to tour.
Only 5120 Packard Eights were built in 1934, so it’s easy to understand why they’re so appealing today. This is a fantastic usable tour car that can be upgraded along the way, and as a ’34 Packard, it will always be on collectors’ list of must-have automobiles. It’s handsome, mechanically sorted, and ready to enjoy, and the price is certainly right. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
