Introduced in August 1930, the Eighth Series junior Packards integrated valves and manifolding from the prior year’s 734 Speedster, lifting power of the 319-cubic-inch L-head straight-eight to an even 100 hp. The Model 833 rode a 134.5-inch wheelbase and was offered in 11 different styles of factory coachwork, including the dual-cowl sport phaeton.

Benefitting from 42 years of care by the first owner, this incredibly authentic Packard also claims the distinction of winning the FIVA Award at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a benchmark of the car’s highly preserved originality. The beautiful Model 833 was originally purchased as a birthday gift for 17-year-old Jonas Homer Edwards, who traveled from his home in Lewiston, Maine, to Boston to accept delivery in late May 1931. To this day the phaeton continues to feature his monogram on the doors.

Over the next four decades, Mr. Edwards pampered his Packard with fastidious care, reportedly never driving the car in inclement weather and storing it on blocks each winter. The odometer displayed just 25,000 miles when Edwards sold the car in 1973 to a close friend, who retained possession for five years. In 1978 the Model 833 was sold to Larry Bailey of Buford, Georgia, and he immediately drove the Packard on that year’s Glidden Tour, winning the award for Best Unrestored Car. The phaeton was then the subject of a feature article in the November 1978 issue of Car Collector magazine, where it was dubbed “the Birthday Packard.”

By the mid 1990s, the Packard passed to Bruce Male of Swampscott, Maine, and it was displayed at several East Coast events before being sold in the 2000s to respected collector Jack Boxstrom. Still in remarkably preserved condition, the 833 was invited to the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, for which it underwent a round of sympathetic freshening by RM Auto Restoration. Presented at the concours, the phaeton was awarded in the Prewar Preservation class and was honored with the FIVA Award for “the best preserved and regularly driven pre-war car.”

Acquired by Jim Bradley in January 2012, this highly authentic junior Packard currently displays 29,924 miles, and the consignor reports that all mechanical and ancillary systems continue to function properly. The well-documented phaeton retains its original factory paint, interior, top, and side curtains, and is probably the best-preserved car of very few surviving examples, offering an outstanding acquisition for any marque enthusiast or preservation automobile collector.