1948 Packard Special
Fitted with Eaton supercharger

Registration No: JYP 9
Chassis No: 226224461
MOT: Exempt

• A unique special built as a tribute to Alfa Romeo's iconic 158/159 Grand Prix car
• Hand built with all aluminium bodywork
• Packard straight 8 engine mated to a 5-speed gearbox
• Eaton supercharger with twin SU carburettors
• Completed by the vendor c.8 years ago and little use since
  
  

The Alfa Romeo 158/159 was one of the most successful single-seater cars ever designed. Absolutely dominant once international motorsport recommenced after World War Two, it propelled Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio to the 1950 and 1951 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championships respectively. The brainchild of Gioacchino Colombo, its jewel-like supercharged 1.5 litre straight-eight engine initially developed 190bhp @ 6,500 rpm but was pumping out 425bhp @ 9,300 rpm by the time Alfa Romeo announced its withdrawal from Grand Prix racing at the end of the 1951 season.

Beginning life as a 1948 Packard Eight, this amazing single-seater is the vendor’s homage to Alfa’s iconic Tipo 158/159. Like the original it features a supercharged in-line engine but whereas the Italian machine’s was a 1.5-litre 8-cylinder unit (hence ‘158’), the American powerplant displaces 288 cu in (4.7 litres) which would make it more of a Tipo 478! Force-fed by a suitably large belt-driven Eaton supercharger, which in turn draws fuel from twin SU carburettors, the Packard engine is allied to five-speed manual transmission. The massive box-section chassis features independent front suspension, a leaf-sprung ‘live’ back axle and four-wheel drum brakes. Fabricated from aluminium and painted Alfa Red, the attractive bodywork clothes the heavily canted back radiator and petrol tank. The latter sited behind the Brown leather driver’s seat. The extravagant side-mounted exhaust system is wrapped to lessen heat soak and the silver-painted wire wheels carry chrome-plated spinners. The well-stocked dashboard includes a 120mph speedometer, rev counter redlined at 4,500rpm and boost gauge for the blower. A true labour of love with some wonderful detailing, this unique special promises to be decidedly exciting on the road and will doubtless attract a crowd wherever it goes! Little used since its completion circa eight years ago, ‘JYP 9’ would cost considerably more than the guide price to have professionally replicated.

For more information, please contact:
James McWilliam
james.mcwilliam@handh.co.uk
07943 584760