1932 Packard 900 Coupe
If you have been in our studio in the last year, you will have seen this 1932 Packard 900 Coupe Light Eight (referring to engine size) car body in our studio. In the view above, you are looking in the back window just over the rumble seat. Click on this in order to see a picture of a restored version of this same Packard. There are only a few existing coupes since the majority of these Packards had their roofs cut off when the wood structure began to rot in order to be converted to roadsters or open-air models. Originally, these Packards had a wooden framework over which canvas was stretched to form the roof. As you can see in these pictures, much of the original wooden framework was badly rotted or missing. We had to reconstruct these supporting elements and hand-shape the correct curves and angles so that the window would fit properly and a canvas top could be attached accurately. This may sound simple, but the re-creation of this interlocking structure took 285 hours to complete.
The Light Eight was intended as Packard's price leader at the entry level of the luxury car market. The marketing objective was to add a new market segment for Packard during the depression. It was attractive to buyers, but it failed in its main reason for existence, which was to lure away buyers from its rivals. Instead, it hurt the sales of Packard's more luxury and higher-priced models. A Light Eight 4-door, 5-passenger Sedan was priced at USD $1,750, compared to $2,485 for a similar Standard Eight Sedan. The three other Light Eight body styles cost $1,795 each. Packard managed to sell 6,785 units of its new model before discontinuing. Today, the restorer we worked with said he only knew of 6 existing models of this particular coupe.
The front of the car body was not in our shop as the engine is being totally rebuilt. The original upholstery will be artfully duplicated for this interior with leather and canvas dyed to be historically accurate and including wool cloth from a British company which has been supplying materials since this car was first produced. The final product will be a breathtaking reproduction of the original Packard 900 coupe as it rolled off the assembly line in 1932 – ready roll again in another year after other artisans painstakingly apply their craft. We were just thrilled to have been a part of this re-creation of one of the finest products of America’s past.
