Unrestored 1924 Packard Straight Eight.
Well-known car with desirable Sports bodywork.
Offered from long-term family ownership.
Remarkable ‘preservation class’ American classic.

Shannons are proud to offer one of the most remarkably well-preserved pre-war cars left in Australia, this 1924 Packard Single Eight a fabulous survivor from the Roaring Twenties. Equipped with low-slung Sport Touring bodywork, the Packard was one of a handful delivered new to Australia by Sydney dealers Ira L & A C Berk and was first owned by a Mr Otto Humphries. Reportedly “too big and fast for his wife to handle”, the Packard passed to Dr Garnett Manning of Coogee the following year and on to Geoff Hinder of Cooma Station around 30 miles from Moree in 1927.

In a remarkable twist of fate, the Packard passed to the salesman who originally sold the car to the penultimate owner – John “Ironman” Burton – in 1928 after he persuaded Hinder to purchase a new Packard Club Sedan and fell in love with the older car on the trip back to Sydney. Burton had previously set the record for the Perth to Sydney run in a Studebaker (1915 and 1924), a Hupmobile (1918) and Vauxhall (1923) but the Depression intervened and he never attempted to reclaim the record in the Packard. Burton left Ira Berk’s agency in 1930 to become a travelling Packard mechanic, servicing cars in Sydney and beyond, ultimately keeping the Packard for 32 years, eventually selling it to the renowned Sydney Packard enthusiast and local identity Sam Irwin in 1960.

Already in a remarkable state of preservation, the 1924 Single Eight has been maintained in almost exactly the same condition for the next 62 years, preserved as a much loved but essentially unrestored piece of Australian Packard history. Repainted many years ago in Dust Proof Grey with black guards and bright red wheels, the Packard has a black leather hood and Spanish leather upholstery, plus a nickel finish on the brightwork. Well-known during Irwin’s tenure, the Packard became a regular fixture at car shows around Sydney for decades, invariably displayed with an array of story boards and Sam himself became something of an authority on the fabled American marque. Kept in the family since his passing, the Packard must be one of the last genuinely unrestored pre-war cars left in the country. Although it could be argued such a magnificent car is deserving of a nut-and-bolt restoration, the Packard could equally be sensitively be preserved in its present cosmetic state but mechanically overhauled to return it to the road.

Supplied with a quantity of tools and other spares, the side curtains and some literature (including a magazine article on this very car), the Packard also has twin spares and a Bijur “one shot” chassis lubrication system was fitted at a later date. Currently registered in NSW until September 2023 (the plates US-1924 will be supplied if sold to a NSW registered bidder), the car was driven to Shannons’ Sydney showroom under its own power but will require some mechanical recommissioning after standing for some years.