After World War II, Packard took opportunity of its extraordinary brand loyalty by offering a new wood-trimmed model, ideal for a wealthy owner’s country house. The new model was dubbed the Station Sedan, and was essentially a Standard Eight sedan that featured beautifully hewn white ash paneling over an all-steel body, a unique semi-fastback roofline, and rear quarter panels. While it looked for all the world like the “woodies” of old, wood played a structural role in only the tailgate, which pioneered the two-piece gate that would become a feature of most all 1950s wagons.

The model was lush, evocative of a bygone era, and one of Packard’s most elegant offerings. Unfortunately, the buying public for the model just was not there. The vast majority of Station Sedans were produced in 1948, with leftovers being re-numbered to sell in 1949 and, finally, in 1950. Very few have survived, making this last of the wood-trimmed Packards a great rarity.

The Station Sedan offered here was purchased by its current owners in 2007 from Dennis McKrown of Sunset Beach, California, and received over $2,000 in service work in 2014. It is finished in the correct factory color of Egyptian Sand with an authentic brown vinyl and cloth interior, and appears to have been well maintained for decades, as inspection indicates that all of the body wood remains original factory timber from 1948. The car is equipped with a factory-installed AM radio and heater, overdrive, and amber fog lights, and its odometer notes 18,826 miles at the time of cataloguing. A period McKeown Surf Boards sticker on the rear windshield is a charming touch.

This is a wonderful, honest Station Sedan for highway cruising in sunny climes.