1938 Packard Series 1601 Eight Graber Cabriolet, 127-inch wheelbase
- Engine
- 4.6L (282 cu in) inline-eight, 110 bhp
- Colour
- Deep, near-black dark green
A 1938 Packard Series 1601 junior Eight with custom coachwork by Hermann Graber of Bern, constructed for display at the 1938 Geneva Auto Salon. Its bodywork closely mirrors a Graber design built for Duesenberg J-246, featuring pontoon fenders, skirted rear wheels, a single tailfin, and louvred hood. Long presumed lost, the car was discovered in a Swiss garage after decades of storage, subsequently restored over approximately one year, and went on to win Best in Class at Pebble Beach in 2011 and a perfect score at the 2012 CCCA Annual Meeting.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$1,760,000
- 1938 →Factory deliveryHermann Graber coachbuilderpartial documentation
Chassis received as a rolling export and bodied by Graber for the 1938 Geneva Auto Salon; car was likely repainted from white to dark green before delivery to the first private owner.
- 1938 →Private saleOriginal Swiss owner post-Geneva Salonnone documentation
Believed to be the recipient for whom Graber repainted the car green prior to handover; identity not established in the prose.
- → 2010Private saleErich Traberpartial documentation
Well-known Swiss collector who reportedly pursued the car for roughly two decades before acquiring it from the storage situation; sold it after displaying it at Pebble Beach in 2010.
- 2010 →Private salePaul and Chris Andrewspartial documentation
Commissioned a full restoration through Steve Babinsky's shop; chose to retain the dark green color found beneath trim and weatherstripping rather than return to the original show-white finish.
- Date unknownUnidentified owner who stored car in garagenone documentation
The car spent a prolonged period, described as decades, sitting unused in a concrete-block storage building before being discovered.
Competition
- 19381938 Geneva Auto Salon
Car was constructed specifically to be exhibited at the Geneva show, finished in white at the time of display.
- 20102010 Pebble Beach Concours d'EleganceShown in Prewar Preservation class; no award mentioned
Entered in unrestored condition; a noted restorer assessed it as a solid original example teetering on the threshold of being too original to work on.
- 20112011 Pebble Beach Concours d'EleganceBest in Class
First major award following completion of the restoration undertaken by the Andrews family.
- 2012Classic Car Club of America2012 CCCA Annual Meeting100-point First Primary score
Earned a perfect score at the CCCA judging event, the second major concours honor achieved after restoration.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2011RestorationSteve Babinsky
Comprehensive restoration returning the car as closely as possible to original specification, with the body refinished in deep dark green matching paint found beneath trim and weatherstripping. Chrome wheel covers, blackwall tyres, beige canvas hood, and olivine green interior were all addressed.
Work took approximately one year. The decision to restore in green rather than the original Geneva white was based on evidence of the dark green finish discovered under upholstery and seals during disassembly.
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