In the 1930s Packard was the premier luxury automobile and this big 12 cylinder sedan was their finest. Many car-makers, like Peerless Franklin, Marmon, Ruxton, Stearns-Knight, Stutz, Duesenberg, and Pierce-Arrow did not survive the depression. Packard survived by building expensive luxury cars. Could you imagine having this Packard sitting in your garage for 30 years and just letting it sit, letting the water ruin the interior? They’ve now listed it on Craigslist for the princely sum of $42,000. It’s in Brentwood, California. It appears completely original and the body is solid. It could also be an older restoration. It runs, but it’s going to need lots of help to make it drivable again.

From this angle, the paint and chrome look amazing. Those tires appear original or perhaps from the 1980s.

This side of the front seat gives you an idea of how plush this car was. Rodents haven’t destroyed the interior, but there’s plenty of water staining and damage.

Passengers rode in real luxury. The wood trim seems to have survived, but water seems to have destroyed the upholstery and the door panels.

The dash appears in amazing condition.

The engine appears immaculate. This is puzzling, given the state of the rest of the car. That’s a 7.8 liter flat head 12 cylinder 175 HP engine. It incredible how smooth these run. This engine runs, but the clutch is stuck so the car can’t be driven.

It’s very difficult to guess what this car might be worth. These are AACA/CCCA classic and I understand these 12 cylinder cars are rare. Many were scrapped in the 1940s because their scrap value, especially the aluminum, was worth more than their value as a used car. As to condition, if it was only stored for 30 years, I would guess it’s an older restoration. On the outside it looks nice except for the grill. The interior needs a complete rework and it will need lots of mechanical work to make it drivable. If you had a pile of money, would you restore this or enjoy it’s more original appearance and just restore the interior and mechanicals? I look forward to your comments.