1933 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Convertible Sedan (Dietrich), 1006 chassis
- Engine
- 7.3L L-head V12, 160 bhp
- Colour
- Black with red undercarriage
A 1933 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Convertible Sedan (chassis 1006-28), one of only two survivors of its type, designed by Raymond Dietrich on a 147.5-inch wheelbase with a 445.5 cu. in. V-12 engine producing 160 bhp. Delivered new through Packard Brooklyn in August 1933, the car passed through several notable hands before receiving a frame-off restoration by celebrated restorer Steve Gunder. It subsequently earned CCCA Senior honors and 99.5 points at concours, and retains its original chassis, engine, and body number tags.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$819,000
- → 1933-08-17Factory deliveryPackard Brooklyn (dealer)full documentation
Original delivering dealer; car left their hands on 17 August 1933.
- → 1962Private salePeter Tenhengelpartial documentation
Morristown, New Jersey resident who acquired the car from a dealer other than the original one, sometime in the 1930s. Used it extensively across the US and reportedly drove it up Pikes Peak before storing it in his backyard shop from 1948 until the early 1960s.
- 1962 →Private saleSunoco station owner, Morristownpartial documentation
Operator of a local service station who carried out a period-style refurbishment, refinishing the car in white and maroon and replacing much of the floor timber.
- 1990 →Private saleBob and Julie Levinepartial documentation
New Jersey owners who acquired the car around 1990 through intermediary Jerome Sauls. They refined the restoration further, earning a 99.5-point CCCA Senior rating in 1993 and a class top award at the Packard Experience in 1994, and participated in three National CARavans.
- 1999 → 2003Private saleDon Searspartial documentation
Prominent Packard collector and authority who held the car from the end of the 1990s until selling it in 2003.
- 2003 →Private saleJoseph and Margie Cassinipartial documentation
Respected collectors who purchased the car in 2003.
- → 2013Private saleRoger Willbanks Sr.partial documentation
Colorado-based collector with a noted personal collection; held the car until it passed to the current owner in 2013.
- 2013 →Private saleCurrent ownerpartial documentation
- Date unknownPrivate saleJohn Wheatleypartial documentation
Oklahoma-based Packard Twelve enthusiast described as a notable authority on the marque; received the car later in the 1960s from the Sunoco station owner.
- Date unknownPrivate saleDr. Don Vesleypartial documentation
Florida-based owner who received the car via a trade arrangement from Wheatley.
- Date unknownPrivate saleTom and Marilyn Congletonpartial documentation
Kansas City, Missouri collectors who commissioned restorer Steve Gunder to carry out a complete frame-off rebuild in black with a red undercarriage. Mrs. Congleton showed the car to a CCCA Primary First award in 1980.
Competition
- 1980Classic Car Club of America judgingCCCA PrimaryFirst
Shown by Marilyn Congleton following completion of the Gunder frame-off restoration.
- 1993Classic Car Club of America judgingCCCA Senior judgingSenior honors, 99.5 points
Achieved while owned by Bob and Julie Levine following further restoration refinement.
- 1994Packard Experience concoursClass top award
Shown by the Levines the year after their CCCA Senior recognition.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1962Restoration
Partial refurbishment carried out to period standards by the Morristown Sunoco station owner: floor wood largely replaced and the car refinished in white and maroon.
Work was not considered high quality by later standards and left much of the original character altered.
- —RestorationSteve Gunder
Full frame-off restoration commissioned by the Congletons and executed by Steve Gunder, one of the leading restorers of the era, finished in black with a red undercarriage.
Restoration was completed prior to the 1980 CCCA judging season.
- —Restoration
Ongoing refinement of the Gunder restoration carried out during the Levine ownership, raising the concours score to 99.5 CCCA points by 1993.
Work undertaken between approximately 1990 and 1993.
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