1950 PACKARD EIGHT DELUXE CLUB SEDAN

Exceptional example. low-mileage. unique history. 1950 PACKARD EIGHT DELUXE CLUB SEDAN Golden Anniversary Model 23rd series. assembled late 1949 A low-mileage time capsule 28. 00 miles AT A GLANCE: Vehicle number 2365-5-6038 Briggs body number 2365-6008 Paint Scheme S. Coronet Blue Metallic Trim Code 68. Gray Checked Broadcloth Engine H255593. cast 10-12-49 135 hp. 5 bearings. solid lifters 288 c. i. . 3-speed manual w/ overdrive Original G. E. headlamps. dated 10-10-49 LOF Safety Plate glass. dated 10-49 RELIABLE ENGINEERING SCULPTED IN A SOPHISTICATED. MODERN DESIGN. According to Robert J. Neal’s wonderfully researched publication. PACKARD 1948-1950. the sporting fast back. two-door Club Sedan is a relatively rare model. This sleek. exclusive beauty is one of 3. 75 Deluxe Club Sedans built in 1949. and one of about five thousand built in total before the model was discontinued by the end of 1950—a fifteen month total production run of just over 106. 00 sparkling 23rd series cars built to commemorate the Golden Anniversary of building the finest luxury cars Packard could engineer. design and build from everything it had learned in the previous fifty years. since 1899. CUSTOMER DESIGNED AND ACCESSORIZED. PACKARD ENGINEERING APPROVED. The teletype build order sheet. recovered from its gas tank and glove box placement. reads: 2365-5 S 6038 OD HE 68. In addition to the factory specified overdrive and heater/defroster. this car includes the following installed factory options and dealer accessories: EXTERIOR OPTIONS: -Goddess of speed hood ornament -Dual amber fog lights -Door-mounted rear view mirrors -Rare window-mounted vent shade set -Rear fender skirts -Hubcap medallions -Stainless wheel trim rings -Dual clear back-up lights -Luggage compartment trunk light -Exhaust pipe extension tip INTERIOR OPTIONS: -Non-glare amber. tilt rear-view mirror -Visor mounted. service record vanity mirror -Life-like tone. push button AM tube radio -Deluxe ivory steering wheel -Courtesy lights -Turn signals -Cigar lighter and ashtrays -Trip odometer -Clock ENGINE COMPARTMENT OPTIONS: -Firewall mounted auxiliary light -Oil filter canister -Oil bath air cleaner NOT INSTALLED: (Accessories and spares included with sale) -Auxiliary bumper guard sets. front and rear -Cormorant hood ornament -Front bumper license plate holder -Original trunk mat -Rubber floor mat set -Period bumper jack -Period luggage set -Original teletype build sheet -Modern. halogen headlamp set -Sales brochures. Owner’s Manual. ownership dossier — RECENTLY COMPLETED MAINTENANCE AND REFURBISHMENT. Overall. this car is a blend of intact originality and minimal. preferred restoration. This Club Sedan is a beautiful car in exceptional working order as though it was only a few years old. Its Packard soul is proudly intact. While not completely technically accurate in a few. minor details—the fit. finish and feel of all this car and it’s components is factory fresh. without signs of excessive wear. sag. squeal or shake found in cars half its age from the Big Three. If they used one bolt. Packard used three or four to assemble its lasting reputation. Aesthetically. there is no unwanted dings. dents. scuffs or bruises. No sag or limp. This car has spent years slumbering. but mechanically. the most necessary work and adjustment is complete for immediate. reliable use. If the eyes are the window to the soul. this car still shines through its originally installed G. E. headlamps. wide awake. willing and able. EXTERIOR NOTES: With no indication of bodywork or panel replacement. all trim was removed for an entire professional repaint. clear-coat and buff to high luster in the correct color. blending into the original painted door jambs. firewall and trunk. The stainless trim and chrome are perfect. with exception for slight wear on the driver’s door handle and minor pitting on tail light housings. Original LOF Safety Plate glass is dated 10-49. The car stands perched on fresh BFGoodrich Silvertown bias ply tires. Underneath. the frame and underbody are exceptionally straight. clean and dry. without signs of accident or repair. with the factory paint and undercoat solidly intact. showing very few areas of light surface rust. It is as clean as the rest of the car. reflecting intentional garage storage for sixty-five years. INTERIOR NOTES: The cabin is quiet. solid and as exceptional as the exterior. with unblemished wool panels. headliner and gray checked broadcloth. The original wood-grained dash and window surrounds. chrome and steering wheel are without any signs of aging. Dealer-issued. green and white “picnic table” seat covers were removed. revealing moth damage to only the seat cushions. whose frames were re-upholstered in matching gray leatherette. Tired and stained carpeting was replaced with hand cut and trimmed square-weave wool over modern insulation. From the hushed closure of the bank vault doors. seat adjustment. floor ignition. dash controls and pedal release. all mechanical and electrical controls are precise and move effortlessly. operating as the car were still new. Under the dash is unmolested and shows no sign of customization with exception for the hidden toggle switch for the auxiliary. inline fuel-pump. MECHANICAL NOTES: Only the typical items required service recently to bring the car back up to roadworthy condition. The front end is original and factory tight. Suspension is taut. The steering. column shift. overdrive and transmission are as precise. as expected with such low mileage. Once underway. this car is still as impressively smooth as Packard’s historic Straight-Eight reputation. Other assorted mechanical chores crossed off: COOLING Radiator. heater core. fan and valve completely rebuilt. with fresh hoses and coolant. ELECTRICAL With rebuilt 6v starter. generator. the car starts immediately without any hesitation and drops to idle with all lights shining bright. Original wire harness is in excellent condition. New ignition components. battery and belts. All interior switches click and snap properly. The vacuum-operated wiper motor is rebuilt and functional again for the occasional cloudburst. WHEELS Complete brake service of fluid. cylinders. linings and drums. Wheel bearings cleaned. greased and alignment checked. Chassis is also fully greased. FUEL The Carter carburetor is rebuilt. the gas tank cleaned and sealed. still whistling an ascending. filling note. Switched. auxiliary. in-line fuel (pulse) pump installed to back up the rebuilt engine-mount pump. ENGINE Valve covers and sump pan gaskets replaced with no leaks. Sump contains high zinc oil. There’s past evidence the head has been off. suggesting gasket/valve/ring maintenance has been attended to as needed under another’s watch. One item lingers on the maintenance log—The intake manifold whistles a happy tune once the engine is fully warm on a particularly hot day. I’ve got the gasket kit cluttering up the workbench bullpen. — PS: A WELL-PITCHED HISTORY. SAVED FOR FUTURE INNINGS. From the family estate of early baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson. A beautiful car with an interesting history… When new. this Packard was dealer accessorized and presented to Jane Stoughton Mathewson. widow of inaugural baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson (1880-1925) in Ohio as a distinguished gift honoring her late husband’s achievements. The widow soon retitled the car in Pennsylvania. February 1952. as the former Cincinnati Reds couple had called Lewisburg. PA their home. having both met at Bucknell and married for life in 1903. Jane owned this car right up till her death. May 29. 1967. at the age of 87. This Packard then benefitted from passing through a few respectful collector hands over the next forty years. first Perne Miller. then Robert Woolmer and Natale Carbone. all of western Pennsylvania and then Bob Abbott of NJ. all commonly interested in its preservation. Fortunately. a few documented mileage posts remain from maintenance tags and ownership transfers. evidence of respectfully spare use since Mrs. Mathewson’s original ownership: 2 February 1952 Originally PA titled to Christy’s widow. Jane Stoughton Mathewson at her age of 72. - 16. 00 miles / 30 March 1967 Service station tagged. Bowersox Sunoco. Lewisburg. PA. - Jane Stoughton Mathewson passes. May 29. 1967. at the age of 87 after seventeen years and seventeen thousand miles of ownership. - 18. 00 miles. 3 October 1974. service station tagged Miller’s Atlantic. Irwin. PA under Perne Miller - 22. 00 miles. 19 October 1981 now in the hands of Natale Carbone - 26. 00 miles. 1 April 2012 sold from the estate of Bob Abbott - 28. 00 miles. current mileage — A CURVE IS THE LOVELIEST DISTANCE BETWEEN HERE. AND THERE. THEN AND NOW. Or as Mae West also opined. a woman should cultivate her curves. “They may look dangerous. but they’ll be impossible to avoid. ” This Club Sedan is also a compelling feast for the eyes. aesthetically adorned in an embarrassment of riches. Its graceful fastback. bathtub design moves through daylight and under streetlights like gentle current flowing over a river rock. The Coronet Blue Metallic paint changes color from the low light of morning into the twilight of evening. from the brilliance of a bluebird to the slate gray of dense fog. This automobile’s organic shape is as much a piece of minimalist sculpture as it is a sumptuous way to get from here to there. It is an absolute delight to share with the enthusiastic every time it’s parked. abruptly turning as many heads and dropped jaws along the way as a string of firecrackers! Children clamor. Seniors hustle. Texting parents snap shots. Its well-endowed. portly shape floats quietly past. a shape so out of context today. parading like a blue whale. breaching amidst a sea of square automotive appliances. computer-designed for obsolescence. Once docked. Packard’s thoughtful human touch is its inspiring marvel. magic and mystery. Admiring conversation follows in its wake constantly. like the wisp of smoke trailing Buck Rodgers across the sky… If interested. you are encouraged to slip behind the wheel. the chrome. wool and woodgrain for a short drive. It still has the factory scent of grandmother’s parlor. without the crystal dish of wintergreen mints. and the Flite-Glo instrument panel has a glowing luminescence that radiates like a summer meadow of fireflies. quietly fading into evening. able to pull the parking brake on memory. to drop in unannounced on the people and places still shining larger than life on the big-screen drive-in. blazing brightly in the back of our minds. This car has spent more time quietly parked roadside in a few owner’s imaginations than it has ever needed to be driven across town. CUTTING TO THE CHASE. I’m a retired mechanic with too much time on my hands and not enough garage space. As a sincerely appreciative Packard club member. sometimes a man’s favorite car is his next one. and Just Ask The Man Who Owns One too many. Cars like this are hard to catch and even harder to release. Getting a jump on spring cleaning. I’m needing to say good buy. Located in suburban Philadelphia. fifteen minutes south of PHL International Airport. please contact me with any curiosities. memories or for more details.