1937 Packard Twelve Convertible Coupe Roadster 🇮🇹

This particular roadster was delivered new to Italy, an example of Packard's successful export marketing. The peculiar story of this 1937 Packard begins in January 1938 when Marc Droulers, tycoon of the textile industry and owner of Lake Como's Grand Hotel Villa D’Este, Cernobbio (Italy), purchased it from the Franco Bandera dealership of Legnano, near Milan.

After World War II, the vehicle was bought by the Trenno Company of Montecatini Terme, which used it as a starter car for horse races. The Packard underwent major transformations to serve its new purpose in life, such as the addition of a complex mechanism of foldable bars at the rear designed to line up horses at the gate.

After several such seasons of horsepower meets horse, the Packard was put to pasture in a barn for thirty years until it was discovered and resurrected by a collector from Bologna in 1980.

In 2002 it was acquired for the Nicola Bulgari Collection, sent to the US for a thorough frame-off restoration and returned to Italy where it has remained since 2008. The Packard Twelve is a conservative and elegant automobile with a refined chassis and a whisper-quiet engine that offers a unique experience.

Company
Packard Motor Car Co.

Wheelbase
139in

Interior trim
Gray leather

Brakes
front and rear drums

Make
Packard

Length
230in

Engine
V12 473cid

Tires
8.25x16

Model
Twelve - Series 15-07 Model 1039

Width
78.8in

Carburetor
1 EE-3 Stromberg

Original Price
$3,450

Body style
2-door Convertible Coupe Roadster

Weight
5886lbs

Horsepower
175hp @ 3200rpm

Production
677

Model year
1937

Exterior paint
Silver Gray

Transmission
3-speed Synchromesh manual

“Ask the Man who owns one” was the slogan of this Detroit-built luxury automobile manufacturer. From its early beginnings in Warren, Ohio, in 1989, the Packard automobile was intended by its founders as a high-end competitor to other luxury brand such as Pierce-Arrow and Peerless – the “Three P's” of American motordom royalty, as the were known.

The Packard Twelve was produced from 1933 to 1939 with over 35,000 specimens produced. It is considered by many to be one of the finest automobiles produced by Packard and one of the most significant creations of the classic car era. Packard built a total of 5,804 V12s between 1932 and 1939. The engine was originally destined for a front wheel drive project which eventually proved to have weaknesses. That and the anticipated development cost were too much to be practical, so Packard decided to scrap the idea. Cadillac had introduced their 16-cylinder engine and other marques such as Pierce-Arrow were improving the performance of their offerings. Packard was feeling the pressure and decided to place the engine into the Deluxe Eight Chassis and dubbed it the Twin Six. The name was in honor of Packard's achievement fifteen years earlier when they introduced their first 12-cylinder engine. By 1933 the name was changed to Twelve to be in line with the rest of the Packard models.

For 1935, Packard introduced all-new bodies that offered true envelope styling with the body, hood, fenders and running boards incorporated into a smooth design. An increase in horsepower, improvements to the suspension and steering, and improved engine mounts greatly enhanced the driving experience and improved passenger comfort.

The 1936 models were virtually unchanged whereas the Fifteenth Series of 1937 brought a comprehensive set of mechanical improvements.

The year 1937 was Packard's best sales year for V-12s, with 1,300 cars delivered. It was also a year of many improvements, including the addition of hydraulic brakes and “Safe-T-Flex” independent front suspension, based on the design of the junior One-Twenty, which was debuted on these “senior” Packard models. Other improvements included the adoption of hydraulic brakes, disc-type steel wheels and the elimination of the Bijur central chassis lubrication system.
The wheelbase was 139-inches and the Fifteenth Series Twelve used a 175 horsepower, 473 cubic-inch side-valve twelve-cylinder engine with a three-speed synchromesh transmission and vacuum-assisted hydraulic brakes. Its power, smoothness and silent operation are legendary.

The convertible coupe was one of eight body styles in the 1507 Series ranging in price from $3,400 to $5,700.