1931 Packard LeBaron Model 845 Convertible Coupe
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Of the more than one thousand Deluxe Eights built, fewer than 100 are said to have received custom coachwork. Of those, perhaps 50 were bodied by LeBaron as convertible coupes. Today, only three are known to survive . . . and this car is one of them.
As the Great Depression wore on through the 1930s, even a stately convertible like this LeBaron was forced to abandon its life of leisure for one of manual labor. By the early 1940s, it was being used as a tow truck at Walter Paine's Chevrolet garage in King City, California. It was then purchased by tomato farmer Leo Meyer and also used to tow until Mr. Meyer began to appreciate its design and decided to retire it from farm duty. He traded the tow crane that had been mounted on its rear to Mr. Paine in exchange for the original body panels and returned the Packard to its original form as a LeBaron Convertible Coupe.
In November 1977, Meyer engaged Hill & Vaughan to perform a 100-point restoration, with the work completed in May 1980. In 1986, it received a fresh coat of updated Burnt Orange and Russet Brown paint as well as mechanical maintenance.
In 1991 this striking Packard achieved Senior Premier honors from the Classic Car Club of America (badge number 0951SP). It was displayed at many concours d'elegance throughout the West Coast, winning some 20 consecutive awards. Many of these awards included First in Class and Best in Show honors by 1989, as noted in a letter of that year from Hill & Vaughn. In 1991, it was featured in The Classic Car, authored by noted historian Beverly Rae Kimes for the Classic Car Club of America.
The car remained in California with the Meyer family for seven decades before being sold into a well-known East Coast collection, where it remained for several years. The car has been well-maintained during the tenure of its most recent owner, and its condition remains superlative.
This magnificent example is a testament to the legacy of the Packard Motor Car Company, as it performs as good as it looks cruising down the road at 65 mph. Just “Ask the man who owns one.”
