HomePick of the DayConcours candidate 1936 Packard Super Eight convertible coupe

Concours candidate 1936 Packard Super Eight convertible coupe

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The Pick of the Day, a 1936 Packard 1404 Super Eight convertible coupe, celebrates the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which today becomes the epicenter of the collector car universe. 

As a true classic on the Classic Car Club of America’s official list, the Packard is a piece of pre-war splendor such as one might see at the California concours, along with the wide range of rare and historic automobiles standing for inspection on the 18th Fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links near Monterey. 

Packard
The Packard has side-mounted spares and wire wheels

This handsome convertible, advertised on ClassicCars.com by a private owner in St. Louis, Missouri, was an expensive luxury craft marketed during the Great Depression, a time when great cars were reaching new levels of beauty and excellence despite the widespread economic hardships. 

Just 1,500 Super Eights were built in 1936, according to the seller, powered by the 150-horsepower 386cid straight-8 engine. This one also is equipped with a two-speed rear for highway driving. 

“The Packard has a known history since new,” according to the seller, who describes it as “one of the best and solid Packards I have ever driven.”  The car’s history is fully documented, the seller adds. 

Packard
The bird on the hood is a Cormorant

“Sold new in Calgary, Alberta, to Mr. Jack Baxter. He paid $5,000 Canadian for the new Packard,” the seller details. “He sold the car to Jim Brewster (tour-bus operator) several years later. It stayed in Canada with Murray Gamon next and shipped to Barph, Alberta, where it stayed for many years.

“Murray shipped the Packard to Custom Auto in Santa Ana, California, in 1966-67 for restoration. Completed, he drove it back to Victoria, B.C. to the classic car museum in 1971.

“In 1991, it was sold to Gordon Levitt of Vancouver, B.C. It finally went to Seattle, Washington, in 1997 and remained in a private collection until 2013. The collector passed away in 2013 and I purchased the Packard in the restored condition as it is presented today.” 

Packard
The luxury interior features a burl-walnut dash

Although the Packard Super Eight could be shown proudly at any high-end concours, it is priced at $175,000 – expensive but considerably less than the best of the Pebble Beach Concours offerings, many of which climb into the seven figures. 

The asking price does not reflect, however, the priceless pleasure of driving this elegant Packard, top down on a summer evening.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.

4 COMMENTS

  1. I have been admiring this car since it went up for sale. I own a 1936 Packard 120B and enjoy it but this Packard Super Eight is really SUPER!! The color combo if Red / Red is also unique and my favorite on any car. You have chosen the best for your pick.

  2. I have been watching this car from the day it was listed. I own a 1936 Packard 120B But this Super Eight is SUPER!! And the Red red color combination is very unique, great car!

  3. This may be heart breaking to some but in 1954 I mowed lawns all summer and carefully saving my earnings, bought
    a 1936 Packard super convertible coupe for $35.00 American. The car was really in pretty good condition both mechanically and aesthetically. All of the chrome was excellent as was the body. The paint was a grey primer and I had to replace the wooden floorboards and all of the seat padding and upholstery. I drove it all over South Texas until I entered the Marine Corps in 1955. When I left My folks disposed of it.

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