- Chassis # 1708-2014
- Engine # B602402
- 1 Of Only 2 Examples Produced In 1939
- Sold New By Famed Earl C. Anthony's Wilshire Motors
- Believed To Have Been Owned By LA Playboy And Sugar Magnate Adolf Spreckles
- Freshly Serviced And Ready To Be Shown And Toured

The Packard Twelve was a series of V12-powered luxury cars built by Packard in two generations from 1916 to 1939 to compete with other luxury brands like Pierce-Arrow, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac, and Lincoln who began offering the same number of cylinders in their cars. The second generation of the Twelve saw some cars being built with custom coachwork, but nowhere near as many as were custom prior to the Great Depression. Packard employed the famed coachbuilder Brunn & Co, known for producing bodies for Rolls-Royces, Pierce-Arrows, and Lincolns, to produce a few coach-bodied examples between 1937 and 1939, one of which was the Touring Cabriolet. The 17th Series Packard Twelves built-in 1939 served as the last year of the model.

The 1939 Packard Twelve Touring Cabriolet had a partial convertible top and retained the eponymous V12 engine. It put out 175 hp through a column-mounted three-speed manual transmission and featured independent front suspension and hydraulic drum brakes. The assembled Packard chassis was shipped to Buffalo, NY where Brunn mounted the body for $150. A finished production car measured 19’6” in length, 78” in width, and a 139” wheelbase. When topped off with fluids, it weighs around 6,000 lbs, over 1,000 lbs more than the top-of-the-line Hummer H3 Alpha.

The interior was as luxurious as the price tag would suggest, with features such as a Jaeger clock, burled wood grain surfaces, rear cloth seats, built-in umbrella, glass divider, food cushions, automatic choke, and wooden running boards to allow the car to get close enough to the curb so passengers did not step into the street.

Sales of the regular Twelve fell to just 500 units in 1939, with only 21 Brunn-bodied cars ever produced: ten in 1937, nine in 1938, and a mere two in 1939.

This particular example, Chassis # 17082014, is one of only two Brunn bodied Touring Cabriolets produced in 1939. The exterior is finished in black with a striking tan interior. This Packard’s storied journey began in 1939 when it was sold new by Earl C. Anthony, who was the sole Packard distributor for the entire state of California, a radio and television station owner, an Edsel dealer, one of the developers of the gasoline service station, and a pioneer in inter-urban bus transportation.

The car was originally sold to Adolph B. Spreckels Jr., a California businessman and the heir of the Spreckels Sugar Company. Mr. Spreckels Jr. was an infamous playboy in his day and liked to treat his mistress to all the fancy things her heart desired, an act that later earned him the nickname of “Sugar Daddy,” a term that survives to this day. Something that was unique to Mr. Spreckles Jr.’s cars, and is present in this Packard as well, are the radio controls that were relocated to the backseat. This was reportedly so that he could scan through the radio stations and hear the gossip about his adventures from the night before.

After Mr. Spreckles Jr.’s adventures with this Packard came to an end, the car made its way to Washington State where it spent a significant amount of time. It once more traveled to Arizona where it likely spent most of that period of time outside, with the elements taking a toll on its elegant coachwork. The car was later rescued and made its way to Texas then back to its home state of California in 2009 where it likely received the restoration it deserved. Dr & Sir Luxury Car, LLC bought it in 2017 and investing around $10,000 into the engine, brakes, and tires.

This Packard also recently received a new voltage regulator and an amp gauge rebuild from Leading Edge Autosport in West Chester, PA, ensuring reliable starts. Non-service-wise, both the exterior and interior received a comprehensive detail from Museo Detail in Chester, PA.

Upon purchase, the new owner will receive copies of the car’s previous service records and a detailed history report written up by Dr & Sir Luxury Car, LLC.