The Eleventh Series Packard Twelve offered here is style no. 738, the 2/4-passenger coupe on the 142.5-in. wheelbase 1107 chassis. Its sporty, superb proportions, similar to the coupe roadster, are no coincidence; both cars used a common body shell, inspired by the designs of LeBaron coachbuilders, with the coupe gaining a fixed roof with crisp lines, reminiscent of a raised convertible top. The coupe was popular when new, but unfortunately not many were preserved, typical of great closed cars from this era. Historians estimate that only eight authentic examples are known today.

The car offered here, vehicle no. 738-26, is one such fortunate automobile, and retains its original body, engine, and chassis from 1934. The sixteenth such car made, it was originally restored in the late 1950s, while in the ownership of Art Isles Jr., of Indiana. On 27 May 1961, while owned by Mr. Isles, the car was used to chauffeur the buxom blonde actress Jayne Mansfield in the Indianapolis 500 Parade.

In 1964 the car was sold by Mr. Isles to Robert Ortenburger of Oklahoma. While owned by Mr. Ortenburger, this car was listed among the known authentic survivors of the model in historian Edward J. Blend’s tome, The Magnificent Packard Twelve of Nineteen Thirty-Four. An amusing photo accompanying the list of surviving coupes depicts a well-dressed lady, packing her golf clubs into the rear of this Packard. “The Ortenburger 738-26 is painted a popular metallic blue,” Blend noted. “What would your friends and associates say if you arrived at the country club in this vehicle?”

Ortenburger eventually retired with the Packard to LaJolla, California. Only in 1995 did he finally part with it, after over 30 years of care. It was then acquired by Don Sears, the well-known Packard enthusiast, who sold it to Richard Engquist of McPherson, Kansas. Mr. Engquist personally rebuilt the magnificent twelve-cylinder engine to top form, while also reupholstering the interior.

Mr. Sears eventually reacquired the Packard and sold it to another renowned connoisseur, David Kane of Bernardsville, New Jersey. Over nearly two decades, Mr. Kane drove his beloved Packard Twelve over 15,000 miles, running on everything from many CCCA CARavans, to the 2013 Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, to the Mozart Tour. That it was the favorite tour car in Mr. Kane’s wonderful stable is a statement to its engineering excellence and its fine order.

Today this spectacular Twelve remains in top order; its superb restoration is still in fine condition, half a century on, with that “popular metallic blue” finish in very good order. It runs, drives, and functions superbly, as one would expect of a car that has been so beloved for so many decades. Simply put, it remains one of the most authentic and best-known examples of its kind, just as it was when Edward Blend put it in his book in 1977. It is ready for the latest proud owner in its fascinating ownership history.