1938 Packard Twelve Torpedo-Cabriolet

Coachwork by Kellner

Ownership History:
George “Geordie” Hormel II
J.B. Nethercutt
Harrah’s Automobile Collection
Domino’s Classic Cars of Ann Arbor, MI
Tom Barrett of Scottsdale, AZ
Blackhawk Collection

This One-of-A-Kind 1938 Packard Twelve (Model 1608) Torpedo-Cabriolet by Kellner was custom built using the rear body section off 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 Minnesota undergoing a restoration that is mentioned in (vol. 3,no.4) of The Cormorant (Dec.1957) in which the following appears—“Confabs with the Joy Bros. service manager now disclose that this one-of-a-kind custom was actually built in Paris on the ’32 chassis.” In the next few years, 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 being sold during the Harrah Automobile Collection Sale in 1985, to Tom Monaghan the founder of Domino’s Pizza who had a World-Class Collection including the 1931 Bugatti Royale Type 41 Berline de Voyage. 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 Tom Barrett, the Co-Founder of the World-Famous “Barrett-Jackson Auction Company.” After a short period, Tom 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. Having been owned by some of the most significant names in classic car history for the past 70 years, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase a car that will stand out in any collection.

Blackhawk Collection
1092 Eagle Nest Place
Danville, California 94506

MON – SUN | By Appointment

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