As with most American luxury brands in the early 1930s, the mighty Packard Corporation faced a sales challenge. Armed with their unparalleled stature in the marketplace for quality, innovative engineering, and advanced styling, the Ninth Series Packards made their debut in December 1931. They were even more refined and modern than their worthy predecessors, and sported numerous improvements, both seen and unseen. The Packards for 1932 were the first to feature the V-profile radiator shell that would define the distinguished brand in the coming decades; straight-line window tops, harmonic stabilizing bumpers, adjustable ride control, and synchromesh gearboxes were Ninth Series firsts as well.

At the very top of the lineup was the Dietrich Individual Custom line. Built at considerable cost in extremely small numbers, they were set apart by their now legendary dual-pane, V-windshields, and are considered by many to be the masterpieces of Dietrich Inc. Dietrich’s proportions, curves, and volumes – on full display in this series – are at once formal and sporting. Trade publication Automobile Topics declared the Stationary Coupe model to be the most striking among them: “Its windshield is set with such a rakish angle that it is almost possible for the driver to look straight up in the air.”

The Packard 904 Individual Custom Stationary Coupe offered here is one of just two known survivors carrying Dietrich body design no. 2068, built to the Deluxe Eight specifications; and no Twin Six versions are known to have been built.

According to the chassis plate on the firewall, this Stationary Coupe was delivered through Earle C. Anthony in Los Angeles in mid-March 1932, about two months prior to the announcement of the addition of the Twin Six engine to the Packard line. According to research by historian Jonathan Sierakowski, noted early Packard enthusiast and accomplished restorer Harold Crosby of Sunland, California, acquired the rare Stationary Coupe in the early 1960s, from early CCCA member and Lincoln specialist Frank Weeks in nearby Glendale, California.

Thrilled with his new project, Crosby carried out a significant restoration, replacing any missing parts and eventually adding the Stationary Coupe to his group of vintage Packards that he would enjoy on the roads of Southern California. Crosby had an old copy of The Saturday Evening Post in his collection that featured a Packard advertisement depicting an identical Dietrich coupe finished in two particularly complimentary shades of green, and he chose these hues for his own example. These colors would become this Packard’s calling card for nearly 50 years. Following the restoration’s completion in 1966, Crosby exhibited the Packard at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, earning a First in Class award.

In 1968, young Classic enthusiast Mr. N. Gene Perkins of Indiana purchased the car from Crosby and has prized it ever since. Always the centerpiece of his notable collection, the Deluxe Eight Stationary Coupe has remained his favorite, as numerous Packards, Duesenbergs, and various other significant Classics have moved through his knowledgeable hands throughout the ensuing decades. Now a fixture in the Packard world, Mr. Perkins has enjoyed the car selectively on CCCA CARavans and exhibited it occasionally on show fields in the Midwest. In 1994, he returned it to Pebble Beach, where it earned a class award and, significantly, was presented with the same restoration completed nearly 30 years prior.

In the early 2010s, after nearly 45 years of ownership, Mr. Perkins elected to have a second restoration performed on the Packard. Working with talented restorer Craig Campbell of Ontario, Canada, the car was refinished in two shades of cream, with an accenting leather interior. The extensive, body-off effort was completed in time for the Coupe to appear again at Pebble Beach in 2015, earning a Second in Class award. Its proper, steel spare-wheel covers, optional trunk rack, chrome stone guard, single Pilot Ray driving light, original Dietrich sill plates, and Goddess of Speed radiator mascot elegantly complement the inspired design.

Since they were first designed and built, V-windshield Individual Custom Packards have been admired, coveted, and cherished. They have always been special, and the surviving examples of the small number built hold status as some of the most beautiful automobiles of the Classic Era. Most occupy places of honor in notable collections, and on the rare occasion that one does change hands, usually a private deal is struck. The Stationary Coupes, among the rarest of the Individual Custom series, are especially prized.

This Coupe, one of just two surviving examples from the Ninth Series, has been held dear by its owner for well over 50 years, and as such, its appearance at auction represents an incredibly rare opportunity to acquire one of the world’s great Packards. Its long, low, sleek design, with its steeply raked, dual-pane windshield announces it as one of the finest creations by a recognized leader in the golden age of the American automotive industry. To experience the view from the inside, through the glass and over the fenders, headlights, and radiator shell, is a rarified privilege for precious few.