“Ask the Man Who Owns One.” For most of Packard’s 58-year life, the slogan was an integral part of the company’s existence. No mere cocky catchphrase; it was simply the automaker’s best advice to its customers. Packard buyers were almost religiously faithful to what they drove, as they appreciated the company’s unique combination of slow-but-steady refinement, high-quality conservative engineering, and unparalleled standards of craftsmanship and construction. If one needed to know why he or she should buy a Packard, all they had to do was ask someone who already had one.

The company’s 1935 line offered something for every taste. Most prominently offered was a wide range of eight-cylinder models, from the new, medium-priced One Twenty to the vast and luxurious Super Eight. In between was the so-called “standard” Eight, which boasted a nearly identical range of both styles to its larger sibling, but it came on a slightly shorter wheelbase and with a 130-horsepower, 320-cubic inch engine. As the Eight and Super Eight were nearly indistinguishable to the casual observer, it is a surprise that the Eight outsold the Super Eight by a factor of three to one.

Offered here is an Eight Convertible Victoria, whose body was built by Murray Corporation of America, under the emblem of well-known designer Raymond Dietrich. It has been a California car since new, and it was originally delivered through the legendary California-based Packard dealer Earle C. Anthony. More recently, it underwent a complete frame-off restoration while in the care of the late Harris Laskey, noted Golden State enthusiast who, over the years, displayed many cars at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The body was beautifully finished in a shade that can best be described as Oxblood, with cream leather upholstery and a warm burled walnut dash, which offers a stunning contrast as soon as one of the vault-like doors are opened. Dual driving lights, the “Goddess of Speed” hood ornament, a rear-mounted luggage rack with a bumper extension, chrome wire wheels, and wide whitewall tires are among the jewelry-like accessories. Typical of Mr. Laskey’s excellent restorations, every component on the car was carefully restored with show competition in mind. Importantly, the engine was fully rebuilt and included all new rings, gaskets, bearings, hardened valve seats, an oil cooler, and a water pump.

This lady in red, which has recently been cosmetically freshened, remains highly attractive and striking in its level of detail, and it would continue to present well at local shows, where, for example, it won its class in CCCA judging three years ago, or it could be used as an unforgettable, imminently noticeable tourer.