As the follow-up to Packard’s most successful year to date, Seventh-Series Packards were introduced on 29 August 1929. Attractive by any definition, they were lower with sleeker lines and fitted with the flowing front fenders that are now emblematic of the Classic Era. Most Seventh-Series Packards were production cars, but the catalogue included a wide range of custom bodies tailored to meet the demands and needs of their wealthy clientele. One of the body styles available was the Custom Eight limousine, body style 415, a fine example of which is offered here.

This incredible time-capsule Packard was ordered from Packard and delivered for final assembly to Leonard Williams and Co. of London, the Packard distributor for the whole of Britain. After appropriate modifications were made for the British market, the car then found its original owner, a Mr. William Selkirk, through the Williams dealership. Mr. Selkirk made his fortune in copper mining and lived in an enormous estate 40 miles south of London called Colwood House. Selkirk and his beloved Packard would remain there until his death in 1960, with the original signed owner’s manual, copies of his original registration book, and written correspondence documenting his 30-year history with the car. Since passing to the next British owner before crossing the Atlantic to the United States, the car has spent the following decades in long-term ownership in the care of three private collections.

Today the car presents in amazingly original condition. A right-hand-drive example, it still bears the signs of its time in Great Britain, including its trafficator turn signals and “Boa Constrictor” horn. The stunning burled-wood dash retains its Leonard Williams dealership plaque. This amazing Packard retains its original interior, which presents with a truly lovely patina. On the exterior, most of the original paint, original glass, and optional dual side-mount spare tires remain. Included with the car is an original accessory trunk with fitted luggage and an extensive history file, which documents the car from new.

Nineteen-thirty was an exceptional year for Packards, and the Custom Eight limousine offered here represents a unique and superbly original chance to understand why.