The Packard Motor Car Company in its prime enjoyed a worldwide market that would be the envy of any modern manufacturer. On every populated continent the Packard name meant something, as the height of conservative engineering excellence—and wherever one went, the wealthiest family in town usually owned a Packard.

Many of the cars exported by the company were delivered as chassis, both for taxation purposes and because overseas buyers often installed bodies by a preferred local coachbuilder. Such was the case for Frederick Thun, the German-born founder of Pennsylvania’s Berkshire Knitting Mills. A self-made man, Thun built his firm into the largest full-fashioned knitting operation in the world by pioneering the production of low-cost silk stockings.

Thun became an immensely wealthy man and enjoyed numerous trips to visit family in his homeland of Germany. During one of those trips, he ordered a car that embodied his success story—an American Packard with German coachwork by the renowned Dresden concern of Gläser. The body fit by Gläser to the Thun Packard was traditionally German, with a robustly constructed and well-insulated convertible top; an interior swathed in thick leather and rich woods; and rock-solid quality throughout, extending to leather bolsters to support each window as it was lowered into the door. Bosch headlamps and triple windshield wipers were fitted, completing the rather Teutonic look.

The Packard returned with Thun to the United States and is known to have remained in his ownership for some years; family histories believe it to have been sold following his passing in 1949. In 1973 it was featured in Hugo Pfau’s The Coachbuilt Packard. It remained unrestored until the early 1990s, when enthusiasts Vince and Jeff Geraci of Michigan acquired it on the West Coast and meticulously restored it to original condition. Following completion, it was sold to the late, much-loved enthusiast Andy Simo of Illinois, in whose ownership it was a class award winner at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1998 and was the subject of a cover feature in the fall 2004 issue of The Classic Car. Eventually it achieved Senior Premier honors in CCCA National competition.

The Muckel Collection acquired the Packard from Mr. Simo in 2008, and it has now remained well-maintained in the stable for over a decade. It awaits its turn at further concours appearances, whether in Germany or Pennsylvania—two areas that Frederick Thun, the Silk Stocking King, knew well.