1929 Packard 626 Eight Runabout

This 1929 Packard 626 Eight Runabout is a wonderful pre-war luxury automobile that has a striking presence and that has been deemed a Full Classic by the Classic Car Club of America qualifying it and its next owner for CCCA events and CARavans. While Packard officially introduced its Sixth Series cars for 1929 on August 1, 1928, America's automobile manufacturing industry kicked off the 1929 model year at the National Automobile Show on January 5, 1929, in New York City. Packard hosted guests during the Auto Show at the Roosevelt Hotel. Packard's event was well-attended and its new cars were well-received. Packard's Sixth Series cars sported numerous updates that helped modernize Packard's lineup. Perhaps the most notable upgrade occurred to Packard's lineup wide drivetrain which saw Packard's Straight 8 engine being used exclusively across all of its cars, losing the Six cylinder engine. Another significant update in 1929 was that Packard opted to utilize chrome plating, rather than nickel plating, for its brightwork leading to a more robust, longer lasting end product with an even more spectacular look. With an impressive vehicle lineup, things were looking particularly good for Packard for the first 2 or 3 financial quarters of 1929. Sales were strong and Packard Motor Car Company stock was performing so well that Packard issued a five to one split. However, by October 1929 all of that optimism washed away when the stock market crashed ushering in the worst financial crisis in American history, the Great Depression. Although Packard's sales had slipped a bit in '29 from its peak in 1928, its footing atop America's luxury automobile hierarchy remained strong with some numbers showing that approximately half of the formal cars sold in 1929 had a Packard emblem on them. Clearly, Americans shopping at the high-end of the luxury car market knew that Packards were the best of the best, and that remains true even today, just Ask the Man Who Owns One! This particular 1929 Packard Eight Runabout comes to us from a long-term enthusiast owner who is believed to have stewarded the car for over 40 years after purchasing the car from a southern-based collector. Providing power to this '29 Packard is a 319.2 cubic inch L-Head Straight 8 engine fed by a single 2 barrel carburetor that together were said to have created 90 horsepower when new. The 319.2 Inline 8 is mated to a 3 speed manual transmission that is shifted using a floor mounted shifter. The chrome trimmed radiator shell is topped with the iconic Flying Goddess of Speed hood ornament and the radiator is further protected with a Packard-trimmed rock guard. This 1929 Packard Runabout is also adorned with several lighting elements in addition to the new for 1929 parabolic headlights including a center-mounted driving light as well as a pair of chrome cowl lights and a driver's side auxiliary spotlight. This '29 Packard is further optioned with dual side-mounted wide whitewall spare tires, each topped with a Packard See-Rite chrome outside mirror to help with tricky parking situations and to further supplement touring efforts. In the rear of this Packard Eight is a foldable luggage rack should you take this beauty for an overnight CARavan or cruise. Mounted above the rear license plate bracket is single brake light assembly as was typical in this pre-war time period. A side-opening golf club door is another period correct feature on this Packard 8 Runabout and perhaps useful when taking this Packard to the golf course. The beige canvas top is accented with chocolate brown fabric trim and while showing some age, is still operational, free of major rips or tears, and it is manually raised and lowered. Riding on a set of wide whitewall bias-ply tires mounted on painted Disc Wheels, this pre-war Packard has a truly upscale look. The steel body on this 1929 Runabout Packard has been refinished in beautiful Old Ivory paint accented with tasteful red pinstripes, comp