This stately and imposing 1941 Packard Limousine was custom-built and exquisitely outfitted by coachbuilders Bohman & Schwartz of Pasadena, California, for Marie Clarke, a fascinating and high-spirited woman known for her equestrian and marksmanship skills. In 1894, she married Chauncey Clarke, who owned a Phoenix-area gold mine and was the scion of a family-owned Illinois distillery. Settling in Southern California, the couple purchased numerous large properties, most notably in Santa Fe Springs and the Coachella Valley. In the years following her husband’s death in 1928, she became a noted conservationist, patron of the arts, philanthropist, and world traveler, eventually becoming a personal advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

In what would be their final commission, Bohman & Schwartz received Mrs. Clarke’s new 1941 Packard long-wheelbase seven-passenger sedan and rebuilt it, changing nearly every panel on the car in adherence to her specific and detailed instructions. The front compartment, including the door panels and headliner, is finished in black leather. The spacious rear compartment, the focal point of the car, is trimmed in triple-weave English Bedford cord wool and is accented by silk-covered door and window shade pulls with dark blue English wool carpets and lambswool overlay. Mrs. Clarke enjoyed a commanding view as she toured, and the stately coachwork’s ample windowpanes, surrounded by burled black walnut, ensure a panoramic view from the back seat, which sits atop an elevated platform.

Following Mrs. Clarke’s passing in 1948, her bespoke Packard was cast aside and eventually acquired by Harrah’s Automobile Collection in 1966 as a restoration project which never took place. It was not until 1990 that the Packard was finally in the hands of someone with the resources, passion, connections, and talent to restore the limousine to its as-delivered splendor. Well-known Packard expert David Mitchell of Geneseo, Illinois, embarked on a seven-year photo-documented restoration, faithfully renewing every facet of the car, using countless NOS parts, from his own inventory and from private collections of Packard parts across the country. Thousands of hours of skilled artisan labor were rewarded in 1998 when the car achieved a First in Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® against world-class competition. It was followed by numerous additional 100-point judgments and class wins at top shows in subsequent years.

This remarkable Packard was added to the consignor’s collection in 2010, joining many other showstopping Packards, and it has been kept in ready condition by the consignor’s full-time staff. This singularly unique Packard, having been painstakingly resurrected to its original form, pays homage to a great carmaker, a legendary coachbuilder, and one very special customer.

*Please note this vehicle is titled by its embossed firewall number, which is 570491.