Barnfind 49 Packard flower car 1 of none

[C Body Bob]

Yep according to a Packard expert this car doesn’t exist.

So yesterday in my travels I found that I was going to be in my buddies Scotty’s neck of the woods. So I called him up to see if he would be around. He said sure come on over. I got there about 2 pm. Hadn’t been to his house in nearly a year. He owns a junkyard full of old cars & that’s were I usually find him. Anyway Scottie has quite the collection at his house. I took several photos of some rare cars. He also collects old juke boxes, arcade games , automotive stuff in general. The American Pickers would love to visit Scottie’s place. One of the vehicles tucked away under a lean to was this 49 Packard Flower car. It’s complete & wouldn’t take much to get it back on the road again. Well in a search for parts on Packard net sites one of those expert types told him there was no such car made in 49. 48 & 50 were the only years. I too have had my dealings with experts. A 71 AMC comes to mind. Scottie doesn’t argue with experts on the net & just told the guy he had the car , the paperwork for the car & the vin #. The guy asked if he could take pics of all that & key areas of the car and send to him. So Scottie did just that. A few weeks later the expert came back & said it’s definitely a 49 but he can’t find any record this very car was ever built. Said he will continue to research it. So I guess it’s a one of none. In all likelihood is was finished late in the model run , most likely a special order car & just mistakenly wasn’t recorded. What ever. A couple years ago I called my doctor to make an appointment & they suddenly didn’t have record of my insurance. So that’s how I feel about that. Anyway I’m going to share these two pictures of this super rare piece of Packard history. If you guys like this stuff let me know & I might share pics of some of the other super rare cars Scottie let me photograph

 

[Mike Parker]

ABSOLUTELY

 

[75LandYacht]

Cool find. Shame relics like Her sit in State and most likely will never be seen and enjoyed buy the many..

 

[bluefury361]

The fact that it is a Custom Super Eight is a big bonus. Has the nine main bearing straight engine.

Is it for sale?

 

[C Body Bob]

Cool find. Shame relics like Her sit in State and most likely will never be seen and enjoyed buy the many..

I see this often in my travels. I try to encourage them to get started if they don’t want to sell.

 

[C Body Bob]

The fact that it is a Custom Super Eight is a big bonus. Has the nine main bearing straight engine.

Is it for sale?

No he’s not wanting to sell

 

[70bigblockdodge]

Cool car

 

[LeBaron1973]

That "expert" would have been smarter to say "please send me the details as I haven't heard of this car before" rather than denying its existence when you're standing in front of it.

At least the Packard records can be updated.

Well done Bob.

 

[C Body Bob]

That "expert" would have been smarter to say "please send me the details as I haven't heard of this car before" rather than denying its existence when you're standing in front of it.

At least the Packard records can be updated.

Well done Bob.

Yep I agree but that’s not how the internet works. People are down right rude to someone that likes the same cars as they do. Bizarre.

 

[C Body Bob]

View attachment 496552 View attachment 496553 Yep according to a Packard expert this car doesn’t exist.

So yesterday in my travels I found that I was going to be in my buddies Scotty’s neck of the woods. So I called him up to see if he would be around. He said sure come on over. I got there about 2 pm. Hadn’t been to his house in nearly a year. He owns a junkyard full of old cars & that’s were I usually find him. Anyway Scottie has quite the collection at his house. I took several photos of some rare cars. He also collects old juke boxes, arcade games , automotive stuff in general. The American Pickers would love to visit Scottie’s place. One of the vehicles tucked away under a lean to was this 49 Packard Flower car. It’s complete & wouldn’t take much to get it back on the road again. Well in a search for parts on Packard net sites one of those expert types told him there was no such car made in 49. 48 & 50 were the only years. I too have had my dealings with experts. A 71 AMC comes to mind. Scottie doesn’t argue with experts on the net & just told the guy he had the car , the paperwork for the car & the vin #. The guy asked if he could take pics of all that & key areas of the car and send to him. So Scottie did just that. A few weeks later the expert came back & said it’s definitely a 49 but he can’t find any record this very car was ever built. Said he will continue to research it. So I guess it’s a one of none. In all likelihood is was finished late in the model run , most likely a special order car & just mistakenly wasn’t recorded. What ever. A couple years ago I called my doctor to make an appointment & they suddenly didn’t have record of my insurance. So that’s how I feel about that. Anyway I’m going to share these two pictures of this super rare piece of Packard history. If you guys like this stuff let me know & I might share pics of some of the other super rare cars Scottie let me photograph

Ross Woodledge

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Ross Woodledge

Lol... that would be Ross Wooldridge

 

[C Body Bob]

Lol... that would be Ross Wooldridge

Yea I should have checked that before I posted. My apologies Ross

 

[cuda hunter]

So, what was the purpose of said vehicle?
Flowers? It carried around flower arrangements?

 

[bluefury361]

So, what was the purpose of said vehicle?
Flowers? It carried around flower arrangements?

Yes..... Most/all the flowers sent to the funeral home traveled to the grave site in flower cars such as this. It was a different time.

 

[Fratzog]

Thanks for sharing. Definitely an interesting car.

 

[cbarge]

The car may not exist by Packard books but it may exist in the books of the coachworks who did the modifications.
Armbruster? Stageway? Superior?
Or some other funeral/limo company that is no longer in business.

 

[C Body Bob]

The car may not exist by Packard books but it may exist in the books of the coachworks who did the modifications.
Armbruster? Stageway? Superior?
Or some other funeral/limo company that is no longer in business.

Could very well

 

[cbarge]

Could very well

Typically the coachworks add their own tag and/or script to the car.
If you are lucky enough to see the car again maybe take a closer look l9l.

 

[Dan Scully]

Typically the coachworks add their own tag and/or script to the car.
If you are lucky enough to see the car again maybe take a closer look l9l.

In an exclusive agreement with Packard from 1937 until Henney's demise in 1954, Henney provided bodies for Packards's ambulances, hearses and flower cars, and they often provided special custom bodywork for passenger cars. The pre-World War II Henney models usually had 160-180 trim but were actually constructed on the Packard 120A 156" wheelbase chassis with the smaller 288 cubic inch engine although there were also 160 and 180 versions available.

Here is pic of my 96 Flower car, coachwork by Eagle. They are still being made, usually low number each year.

 

[Dan Scully]

Yes..... Most/all the flowers sent to the funeral home traveled to the grave site in flower cars such as this. It was a different time.

The Westen Style Flower Car
The Western-style featured an open space behind the passenger part of the vehicle, made for holding flower baskets. The flower display area was protected by stainless steel or canvas with the Tonneau cover fastened into place under or over the flowers.


The Eastern style flower car was the more expensive option of the two. It came equipped with an adjustable steel deck that was raised and lowered through a hydraulic system. Floral sprays were arranged throughout the deck and were held by ornate chrome rails to create an artistic display. It carried the flowers from the funeral home to the graveside of the cemetery for an extravagant display.