Summary

A superbly restored 12 cylinder Packard coupe roadster with coachwork by Raymond Dietrich.

Details

Raymond Dietrich's name attached to automobile coachwork during the classic era was a guarantee of design excellence. Trained at Brewster and one of the founders of LeBaron, Dietrich and Tom Hibbard later worked in Paris as Hibbard and Darrin. Always at the forefront of automobile style and elegance, Dietrich soon was attracted to Detroit where Dietrich, Inc. created medal-winning coachwork. By 1935, however, the Depression had decimated the market for custom and semi-custom coachwork. This 1935 Packard 1207 Twelve Coupe Roadster is one of the last chassis bodied by Dietrich, Inc. A classic among classics, it combines comfortable two-seat coachwork with rumble seat and roll up windows, Packard's silky-smooth 473cid 175hp V12 engine and the 139 ?' wheelbase 1207 chassis. Finished in medium blue, the body has a thin bright beltline molding that originates at the shoulders of the unique Packard grille, follows the hood's break through the doors and then curves gracefully down paralleling the slope of the rear deck. The crimson leather interior is accented by a tight-fitting tan cloth top that folds nearly flush behind the passenger compartment. Chrome wire wheels, wide whitewall tires, dual enclosed sidemounts with mirrors, chrome headlight shells, a golf bag door and a luggage rack finish off the exterior. The interior is beautifully appointed and equipped with a radio. Driver-adjustable shock damping adapts the chassis to varying road conditions and driving styles. With ample power to drive in modern traffic this 1935 Packard Twelve Dietrich Coupe Roadster is a fabulous, beautiful CCCA Full Classic.