Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

The short answer is No. All design and contents, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright © by Packard Automobile Classics a.k.a. The Packard Club, all rights reserved worldwide. Thank you for respecting the Copyright ©.

The website is primarily a source of research materials, and its primary mission is information that will encourage new members to join our club. While any photos or printed material published before 1923 are now in public domain, some items posted on the site are for information only and are not in the public domain. Many donors of posted items have expressly directed that the items donated for viewing be forbidden from copying.

For reasons of Privacy, we do not divulge anyone's personal information. In short, you must have permission from the donor (Photographer or Author) to reproduce most of the donated items posted.

Intellectual Property Rights — All rights, title and interest, including Copyrights and other intellectual property rights, in and to anything at this website are reserved worldwide.

These legal announcements are commonplace on the Internet.

Under Packard Club in the menu at this website, you will find a link to Club Information and also a link in the menu to an on-line Membership Application which you can send from here or you can print and FAX or mail to the membership office.

The purpose of the "cookie" is to gather statistics for the web site. The statistics will help me plan a variety of new items at this web site. Simply click OK when it appears. Cookies are also used (and required) to use the Forum. ALSO SEE the website Privacy statement.

Photos of all Packard motorized vehicles, airplanes, boats, etc. are cheerfully accepted in GIF or JPG format attached to an E-Mail. Items of interest to all Packard owners are needed. Your E-Mail program gives you instructions for attaching a file. Anyone with a scanner can scan the photo for you and convert it to .JPG or .GIF format. You can also mail me a photo c/o my address in the club directory. Either way, remember to describe the year, model & body style.

Commercial Advertising is accepted. Refer to the Vendors page under Parts Sources for detailed information concerning advertising.

At this website, located in the Library/Ref Data page, is a on-line Encyclopedia (Data Book) of Packard automobiles from 1899 to 1958. There you will find the answers to your questions. Use the Engine and/or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to find out what year and model Packard you have.

NOTES:

1. If found, the number embossed in the firewall was only an anti-theft number.
2. Some vehicle titles have the engine number, not the VIN, due to early state registration procedures. Many years ago, most state motor vehicle departments registered cars by the engine number, not the body number. In those days, there was no national identification system for motor vehicles. The VIN number system was created some years after Packard ceased production in response to rising automobile theft rates. Obviously, registering a car by its engine number creates problems. I ran into this situation when I purchased a 1940 Packard that had been continually registered by its engine number. However, at some point during the car's history, the engine had been replaced, so the engine number on the registration certificate (car title) no longer matched what was under the hood. In Pennsylvania, I was told to bring a pencil tracing of the VIN number from the data plate to the Department of Transportation and they would issue a new title with the VIN number. Luckily, they remembered that cars had once been registered by the engine number and accepted my explanation that the original engine had been replaced and that I was indeed the rightful owner of the car. If this applies to you, check your registration forms against your engine numbers, bet that they match if you still have the original engine in your Packard.

Roster Keepers are listed in the Members Only page.

If you were not passed any history when you purchased the Packard, the first place to turn is to contact the Roster Keeper in the Packard Rosters section under Membership. The next place to turn is a state department of motor vehicles by Engine and/or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) from the data plate.

Packard kept very little or no information on how many of a particular body style were produced from year to year. When Packards were being assembled on the line, they were given the next Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in the series, regardless of the body style.

Information on how many models in a given year were produced is available in the Reference section.

How many Packards remain today is also a common question. Volunteer "Roster Keepers" in The Packard Club collect information on how many were produced and more importantly, an estimate as to how many remain today. Find the list of Roster Keepers by going to the Packard Rosters information in the Members Only section. Look for your year and model Packard and contact the person listed.

While Antique Auto Insurance Companies are reputable, there are subtle differences in each you should evaluate for your personal situation, for example: the cost of the insurance, agreed value, annual mileage allowance, etc.

Recommend calling each Insurance vendor to find out the particulars of each to make your decision. A major concern would be: If needed, can you select who will fix your Packard or must you take your car to the person designated by the Insurance company. Most would pay for a more expensive auto insurance to take their Packard to a repair person of their choice. Hopefully, you will never need to do that.

What Packard books belong in your own Packard Library is a personal preference, but first and foremost are the world-class publications you receive from membership in The Packard Club.

Also, various publications are available from The Packard Club, e.g., Owners Manuals, Parts Books, etc. and can be found at this website in the Parts Sources section/ Nat Proj (National Projects) page.

Some others we can recommend, some of which are out-of-print, but become available on eBay or at flea markets are (in no particular order):

Packards Living Legacy: The Past, Present and Future of The Packard Club (by Paul Delaney and Craig Handley, published by the Packard Club)
• Spellbinder — The Life of James J Nance (Amazon by Stuart R. Blond)
• Creative Industries of Detroit (Car Tech by Leon Dixon)
• Detroit Steel Artists (Beavers Pond Press by Matthew Kilkenny)
• Packard — A History of the Motor Car and The Company (Classic Motorbooks Edited by B. Kimes)
• Packard (Motorbooks Intl by G. Dammann & J. Wren)
• Packard: The Pride (Automobile Quarterly by J.M. Fenster)
• The Coachbuilt Packard (Motorbooks Intl by H. Pfau)
• Packard (Motorbooks Intl by D. Adler)
• The Packard Story (A.S. Barnes & Co. by R. Turnquist)
• The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company (Stanford University Press, J. Ward, Editor)
• The Packard 1942-1962 (A.S. Barnes & Co., N. Dawes, Editor)
• Packard — The Complete Story (Tab Books by M.G.H. Scott)
• Packard — 1940 A Pivotal Year ( by J. Hollingsworth)
• 1934 Packard Twelve (by E.J. Blend)
• Packard Buyers Guide (Motorbooks Intl by R. Langworth)
• Packard — Ask The Man Who Owned One (Post Era books by O. A. Schroeder)
• Packard Motor Cars — 1935-1942 Photo Archive (Iconografix by M. A. Patrick)
• Packard Motor Cars — 1946-1958 Photo Archive (Iconografix by M. A. Patrick)
• Packards At Speed (Aero-Marine Publishers by R.J. Neal)
• Packard 1948 – 1950 (Aero-Marine Publishers by R.J. Neal
• Packard 1951 – 1954 (Aero-Marine Publishers by R.J. Neal
• The Greatest Packards of Them All: Vol 1 The 1955 & 56 Packards & Clippers; Vol 2 The Proposed 1957 Packards by Dwight Heinmuller
• Keep Your Packard Rolling (by N. Donovan)
• Packard Gold Portfolio 1946-58 (by R. M. Clark)

Note: If anyone has other books to add to the list, Email me the Book Name, Publisher Name and Author Name. Thanks.

If you need an Owners Manual, Shop Manual, Maintenance Manual or Parts Manual, you are in luck. The Packard Club prints and sells many of the items you may need in the Store on this website. These projects are also available for purchase from our monthly newsletter, the Cormorant News Bulletin.

If you own a Packard (or will inherit a Packard) or plan to purchase a Packard and don't know its value, here's some advice: Sight unseen, nobody can value your Packard. Your idea of excellent condition may be another persons' good condition and vice versa.

The best way to value your Packard is to purchase a copy of The Old Cars Magazine Price Guide at your local newsstand -or- purchase a copy of the NADA Price Guide from their website.

Then, based upon the condition, either of those sources give you a "ballpark" figure.

In the case of an inheritance or sale after a person passes on, you might also ask what the estate turned in as value, if they had to file a return. At any rate, the executor probably did put some value on the asset.

You can also contact an insurer that specializes in classic cars. They can help you determine your car’s insurable value.

The list of Awards Classes and Judging Standards used at the National Meet of The Packard Club are found under the Events portion of this website.

Please email the Chief Judge (listed under "Packard Club Executive Officers") if you have questions about judging and judging standards for the PAC.

Your membership number is on your membership card and also on the mailing label on the back of every Cormorant News Bulletin. Can't find your membership number? Contact Cornerstone Registration

To eliminate all the Packard (Bell) Computer or other non-Packard Automobile items in your search to reduce the number of pages, in the Search box on eBay type:

Packard -(Bell,Hewlett) to eliminate computer related items.

You can add other items to exclude within the parentheses, just remember to separate them with a comma (,).

Once you have your search "exceptions" built, bookmark the first search page and then use your bookmark to search from that point forward. Also, remember to select your preferred sort order.

The Studebaker museum has records on 1957-58 Packards. With regard to the Packard archives prior to the demise in 1956, Dick Teague reported; the Detroit River may be the biggest Packard archive around. Apparently when Curtis-Wright liquidated the Packard assets, many tons of Packard historical data and parts went into the river. That is not to say that what you are looking for is gone, but unfortunately too much is.

For that reason, The Packard Club has Historians and Roster Keepers who have been collecting information about our Packards and the Packard Motor Car Company (PMCC).

Some of the remaining PMCC photos and PMCC archives were turned over to the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection and there is a nominal cost to get copies of anything.

A couple of the books you should read are: "Packard a History of the Motor Car and the Company" by Kimes and "The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company" by James Ward.

Some of the Packard Service Letters spotlighted dealerships and while the photos may be small in size, they could assist your research efforts.

The same is true for the various Packard Motor Car Company Publications such as The Packard Magazine and The Inner Circle, etc. produced by Packard Motor Car Company (PMCC).

Also, most of the PMCC archives were turned over to the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection and there is a nominal cost to get copies of anything.