Lot details Registration No: YVS 523 Chassis No: 558349 Mot Expiry: Aug 2012
Anxious to boost sales after a difficult 1931 season that saw it lose an average of $119 per car, Packard decided to move downmarket. Introduced on January 9th 1932, the Series 900 Light Eight was priced at circa thirty percent less than its nearest sibling (the Series 901 Standard Eight). Competing against the likes of the Auburn V12 Custom Series, Stutz LAA and Chrysler Imperial in the $1,500 - $2,000 price bracket, the newcomer was based around a rugged ladder-frame chassis equipped with all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension and four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. Developing some 110hp @ 3,200rpm, its 319ci (5.2litre) straight-eight sidevalve engine was allied to a three-speed manual gearbox with partial synchromesh. Styled in-house by Werner Gubitz, the Series 900 sat on a unique 127.75-in wheelbase and could be had with a choice of Sedan, Sedan Coupe, Coupe or Coupe Roadster coachwork. Sharing an ultra-fashionable low-window high-waist stance, the four were instantly recognizable thanks to their distinctive 'Shovelnose' radiator grille. Marketed as "a car that can be purchased out of income and not capital", the rakish Light Eight stole sales away from the rest of the Packard range. Built up to a standard and not down to a price it left the luxury marque with an average $601 deficit per car by the year's end! Hurriedly dropped after less than twelve months' production, the Series 900 cars remain among the funkiest Packards ever made. Thought to have accounted for just 510 of the 6,785 sales achieved, the Coupe variant is particularly sought after.
Finished in two-tone green with green leather upholstery, this particular left-hand drive example entered the current ownership via our February 2008 Cheltenham auction. Stated by its previous owner to have been the subject of "a frame off restoration" some twenty years ago, the Packard still appears very sound albeit that the paintwork has aged somewhat. Reportedly benefiting from attention to its engine (new bearings), ignition, starter motor, fuel tank, carburettor and clutch four years ago, more recent work has seen the 'Shovelnose' treated to a brake system overhaul and the fitting of flashing indicators. Issued with the UK registration number 'YVS 523' on 3rd June 2008, this very rare Series 900 Coupe is offered for sale with MOT certificate valid until August 2012.
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