Beautiful low-mileage car with gorgeous paint, nice chrome,
well-preserved original interior, and extensive recent service. New
tires and brakes. Powerful, reliable, and easy to drive. Ready to
tour.
This 1940 Packard 120 Touring Sedan has obviously had a great deal
of money spent on it recently, the kind of money that is all out of
proportion to its very reasonable sticker price. We believe the
51,285 miles shown on the odometer are authentic, so it has
obviously led an easy life. It was recently repainted in lovely
dark Packard Green, so dark that in most cases it looks black, but
in the sun and up close, it’s just beautiful. The finish is a very
high-gloss single-stage paint, which accurately reproduces the 1940
paint without any metallic flakes or other distractions, so it
looks quite correct. We have far more expensive cars in the
showroom with paint jobs that aren’t this nice. The grille,
bumpers, and hood side panels are in excellent shape with almost no
evidence of pitting or other issues. The hood ornament is
beautifully rendered with crystal clear “wings,” and the stainless
rub strips along the running boards and down the sides of the body
shines up beautifully.
The interior is largely original, again indicative of a car that’s
always been prized. The seats might have been re-covered at some
point, but it was some time ago and right now everything has a very
consistent, all-of-a-piece look that’s very pleasing. The door
panels are beautifully preserved and please take a moment to admire
the beautiful woodgrained garnish moldings and dashboard, which are
all in fantastic condition. The dashboard is very nicely presented
with proper woodgrained patterns and plastic knobs that appear to
be original but they’re just so nice we think that perhaps they’ve
been replaced—77-year-old plastic never looks this nice. All the
gauges appear to be functional and there’s an accessory radio in
the center of the dash, although it is missing its buttons. The
heater works, the wipers work, and it shifts cleanly using the
column-mounted shifter. There’s also a good-sized trunk with a
full-sized spare that’s useful for touring.
The 282 cubic inch straight-8 is as smooth and torquey as any
Packard powerplant of the Classic Era and it moves the 120 with
aplomb. Recently and extensively serviced (more than $5000 in
receipts are included), it starts easily and runs smoothly with
that familiar swell of torque that’s available at almost any speed.
The head was removed and the valves were ground, there are new
tune-up parts throughout, and the cooling system was serviced, so
it runs like a Packard should and never gets fussy. The car has
been a reliable tour car for many years and aside from an electric
fuel pump for priming, it remains completely unmodified. The engine
was detailed a bit during the recent freshening, including Packard
Green engine enamel on the head, new hoses and correct clamps, and
a few other details that make it look its best. There’s 30 PSI of
warm oil pressure at idle, no smoke from the exhaust, and a general
feeling of sturdiness that’s hard to articulate but you’ll notice
it the moment you hit the starter. This car feels like it could run
forever. And with so few miles on the bottom end, there was just no
need to go in there beyond dropping the pan to clean it out and
install a new gasket.
The 3-speed manual transmission shifts easily using the
column-mounted shifter, which Packard called “fingertip control.”
There’s a new clutch in there, so it’s smooth and effortless and
thanks to 4.36 gears out back, it’s a very comfortable cruiser
around town where the engine’s torque can pull it around in high
gear, eliminating a lot of shifting. We’ve had it cruising at an
indicated 60 MPH and it feels happy, quiet, and comfortable at that
speed, making it an ideal tour car for just about any occasion. A
correct exhaust system has a nice 8-cylinder hum to it, the
suspension is firm and well-damped without being harsh, and the
brakes were also just serviced, so they feel strong and confident.
And just last summer it was fitted with four new 6.50-16 BFGoodrich
Silvertown wide whitewall tires that look right and really dress
the 120 up nicely.
To have a fully-sorted and beautifully presented pre-war Packard is
still a big deal, and this lovely sedan offers comfort,
performance, and style that few other cars of the era can match.
After some time behind the wheel, you may realize that even the
guys who spent ten times as much on their Packards probably aren’t
enjoying the drive as much as you are. That is what makes this car
so special. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
