Str8 Ate: 1952 Packard 250 Deluxe
This next car comes from tipper John H who writes: Not my car, just something I spotted on CL. It’s a rather stodgy but handsome beast in grey and chrome and white sidewalls. Looks to be very original and absolutely immaculate – 65 years old and cleaner than any car I’ve ever owned (but then I’ve never owned a car with only 53K). Gotta love the herringbone upholstery and not just one, but two sets of fuzzy dice. Located in east-central Wisconsin, not far from Green Bay. Find this 1952 Packard 250 Deluxe offered for $6,500 in Shawano/Clintonville/Wausau & other unpronounceable parts of Wisconsin via craigslist.
DT Vince: I’ve got to admit that I know very little about the market for classic 50’s Packards, but I can tell you that $6,500 doesn’t go very far today and you’ll spend that much to take a family of 5 to Disneyworld for a week and in the end you’ll have a collection of pics with your kids standing next to a potential pedophile in a Mickey Mouse suit — DON’T DO IT! SAVE YOUR CASH AND BUY THIS CAR INSTEAD. Your kids will thank you later.
Under the hood is a 327 cubic inch flathead straight-8 that produces 155 horsepower from an old school approach to the internal combustion engine. The engine bay looks marvelously clean and tidy — and there was a time when a Napa battery meant the owner cared more about his car than the average joe, but nowadays they are probably just another bottom line driven supplier buying from one of the big three of batteries (East Penn Manufacturing, Exide, and Johnson Controls)…but it still looks good to have something other than the cheapest Interstate or Kirkland battery the owner could find.
The interior of this car looks way too nice to be in a $6,500 car, but unless this is a scammer, it seems to be a really nicely preserved car looking for a new owner for not a bad price.
See a cheaper way to get into the 50s club? tips@dailyturismo.com
OH WOW PACKARD STRAIGHT EIGHT FOR 6.5K!
Oh wait it's a six. Still it's a nice looking Packard.
Hugh — I count 8 spark plug wires! I think this is a legit 8-cylinder packard for next to nothin!
I stand corrected.
The last before the board turned the company over to a stove salesman. Nance (from Hotpoint) decided that the old Packards lasted too long and ordered that all the spare parts, tooling, and even the blueprints be destroyed.
Then after merging with Studebaker eventually the Packard dealers became Mercedes Benz dealers.
You could probably run this car until they stop selling gasoline.
That is a lot of stateliness for $6500. Just the price-per-pound makes it attractive!
It is, indeed, a 327 ci straight flathead 8. Made 150 HP, not bad for it's time. There are still multi carb manifolds and hot cams made for these so you could easily hot rod this up a bit. Actually, the straight 8 was part of Parckards demnise when everyone else was going to V8 power. For $6500, this is a deal. Their ad slogan was "Ask the Man Who Owns One"
Theres one of these sitting outside a local garage….in much worse condition. This looks like an 'affordable' entry into the world of elderly men with too much money in their overdone old cars.
I know, it looks like a good enough start in that field that I'd be tempted to snap this one up along with a three piece suit and matching fedora.
regarding all that type spent on the NAPA/other battery. you DID see that this is still a 6v system, right? who still supplies these with a mainstream brand label on the side, anyway?
Excid makes them. 6v it still the standard for golf carts, fork lifts, tractors, and big trucks. Wired up in series of course.
It's been almost 4 weeks since the ad was originally posted and it's still available. Gotta figure the price is getting soft.
To paraphrase Bobinott, that's a lot of stateliness for about a buck a pound.
– John