1938 Super Eight 1603 Formal Sedan

Car information

1938 1603 Super Eight Formal Sedan.

This is a most elegant vehicle and has a long history in the Packard Automobile Club of Australia. Originally (allegedly) purchased by Sir Macpherson Robertson, it was owned by an RAAF Group Captain, then by a Victorian Collector, Gordon Wightman, until purchased and as “Eleanor” was mildly renovated by Max Hood. I purchased the car from Dick Rowe in Canberra in 1991 and have fitted new pistons and rings. The vehicle is excellent to drive and the only issue is really the stump puller diff ratio of 4.69. The vehicle will do 80 mph but you are revving the bejesus out of it. 55mph is very comfortable but over that gets a bit revvy. Mind you, you can take off in top gear without any stress. The Formal sedan was normally on a 1604 chassis and the “skinny’ is that some 1603s were fitted with Formal attire to facilitate an end of model run out. After all, there was a Recession in the US in 1938