Summary

Built using the rear body section of a 1930 Renault Reinstella Torpedo Scaphandrier by the original owner, believed to be George 'Geordie' Hormel II, heir to the Hormel Foods Corp. From the Don Williams Collection.

Details

This one-of-a-kind 1938 Packard Twelve (Model 1608) Torpedo-Cabriolet by Kellner was custom-built using the rear body section of a 1930 Renault Reinstella Torpedo Scaphandrier by the original owner, who is believed to be George 'Geordie' Hormel II, heir to the meat-packing Hormel Foods Corp. and owner of the historic Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix, AZ. During the 1950s, this one-off custom Packard was at the Joy Brothers Motor Car Company in St. Paul, MN, undergoing a restoration that is mentioned in Vol. 3, No. 4 of The Cormorant (December 1957). In the late 1950s, this custom Packard was purchased by J.B. Nethercutt, founder of the Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, CA, who made a fortune in women's beauty products as the co-founder of Merle Norman Cosmetics and used much of that wealth to assemble one of the world's finest automobile collections. In 1961, this custom Packard was purchased by William F. Harrah, one of the pioneers of car collecting and casino mogul, who had over 1,500 cars in his impressive collection. The car remained in his collection for the next 24 years before it was sold during the Harrah Automobile Collection Sale in 1985 to Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza, who had a world-class collection. The custom Packard was treated to a no-expense-spared restoration by Lon Krueger of Scottsdale, AZ. The car remained in the Domino's Classic Car Collection until 1989, before joining the collection of Barrett-Jackson co-founder Tom Barrett. After a short period, Barrett sold the car to the Blackhawk Collection, where the car has been proudly displayed amongst some of the world's finest collector cars and exhibited at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. This is one of the finest, most significant Packards, and an automobile spectacular in history, performance and presentation. From the Don Williams Collection.