“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.

The Eight Convertible Sedan offered here is one of the most expensive and rare body styles, built on the lengthy 139-inch-wheelbase chassis, for a handsome and imposing appearance that nearly equals the grand Super Eight and Twelve models. It still carries what appears to be the original vehicle number tag on the firewall, identifying it as having been delivered new by the Packard Motor Car Company of New York on 1 March 1935. Interestingly, however, it is right-hand-drive, which indicates that it may have been intended for another country than the United States!

The Packard was restored some time ago to its present appearance, in an attractive chiffon yellow with brown upholstery. Panel fit and gaps are good throughout, as is the interior woodgraining, while the upholstery shows light stretching from carrying happy passengers over the years. The car is equipped with a division window, allowing it to be used as a formal limousine when the top is raised, as well as with the famous “Goddess of Speed” radiator mascot, an AM radio, and a trunk rack. It shows 16,657 miles, likely the mileage since it was restored.

A wonderful Full Classic for CARavans and other events, this stylish Packard has an imposing and dramatic appearance that few others of its ilk can equal!