The car: 1950 Packard 2301 (2 Door Sedan) Straight Eight 288 3 speed Packard trans Came factory with half seats (one driver & one rear driver side) P***enger side was open for the racks for the flowers. I know the car has been in Arizona from at least the 60's due to the February 1966 gray hound park racing paper I found in the glove box. I bought it 2 years ago from a collector in Scottsdale. He had little to no information on the car. I am looking for any and all information. EX. how many were built, where this car might have been, etc.... I have contacted the national Packard club and they havent responded. Ryan Phoenix,AZ
Thats going to make a bad *** kustom!!!! You should first tell us more about your self on the intro section on the top of the forums page
OK. We need to get a few terms straight for me to understand. Firstly, a "flower car" is a pick-up LOOKING vehicle with a "bed" for flowers. Said bed is often hydraulically raised and lowered to display the flowers yet get them out of the breeze for transport. There are almost always four doors on such a car, two for p***enger access, and two for bed access. A "church cart" would normally have been stored in one side, and the spare on the other. The bed (actually the under bed) area on many can be used to haul a casket, and will have rollers and receptacles for the bier pins. That's right, many flower cars can be used as he****s, too. Since these cars are custom-built by various coachbuilders, no two may be identical, even from the same manufacturer. Note that in ALL cases, the flowers would be on display, NOT hidden in the trunk. Now, to your car. Why do you refer to it as a "flower car"?? The lack of seats on the p***enger side would indicate to me that it is a "Sedan-Ambulance", a type of car that saw limited use, but was fairly easy to build. Next, is there a body-builder's tag anywhere on the body?? Usually they are on the cowl, and, no, it won't be Packard's. There were a few dealers who had professional cars built, or who built them themselves, for their customers who wanted something a bit different from the major players (Henney, S&S, Superior, Eureka, Cotner-Bevington, etc.). It could be that yours is one of those. As to how many were made, the answer is probably - one. Does this make it more valuable than a ordinary 2 door sedan?? No, probably less, owing to a more limited market. Cosmo P.S. In the case of Packard, ALL their funeral cars were built by Henney of Freeport, IL., owing to an exclusive contract (quick quiz: why did Henney go under in 1956...??).
cosmo is right. my dad drove a 1950 caddy flower car for years I wish we still had it. it looked like an elcamino I have seen a few others over the years and thats the way they made em like little pickups..still a neat car you got there but I dont think its a flower car ....my 2 cents
In the case of Packard, ALL their funeral cars were built by Henney of Freeport, IL., owing to an exclusive contract (quick quiz: why did Henney go under in 1956...??). I guess 'going under' in the funeral business has a whole new meaning....
This car has one off factory Packard seats. No other builder markings/plates...From what I know it has been and was used in AZ . Now you tell me have you ever been to AZ in the summer....it might explain the use of a enclosed sedan....i don't know thats just my thoughts on it...
I dont know yet, but first things first...lower it...the thing sits about 1 1/2 feet off the ground..the nice thing is i can block the front and back with out cutting the springs...just grind off the welds on the pearch up front and block all the way around.
Packard was going broke in'55 and couldn't afford to build a professional ch***is and a regular p***enger ch***is. S****ey Devils C.C.
Again the orignal request was to tracking down info on the car...The owner before me didnt know much. Dose any one know of how I would do this? Have any of you ever thought about / researched who had the car before you?
Hey ya Ryan, good to see you posting here on the HAMB. I've always dug your Packard. Good luck on the info search. Mike
Thanks mike... I have had to find a new way to kill time at work...so i figured what better way than reading and talking about cars...
You might go over to www.aaca.org and post on the Packard board in their forums, there are a number of guys who know Packards who post there. I found a couple of limo's this vintage a while back and got some info on them on that board. Couldn't find anyone who cared enough to save them from s****, but at least I found out how rare they were.
Welcome to the HAMB Ryan, I knew you would get solid info here! Guys, this is a good friend of mine and I am glad he decided to let us know about his project instead of lurking. -Eric
Its about dam time you sign up on here . DesertDroog told me you signed up and I think we need to slam that car in a hurry. Let me know if you need any help with it. You will like the HAMB and don't worry about **** talkers you will do just fine here.
Thanks Ron. The H.A.M.B. seems to be a good place and with every good place you have a few **** talkers that their dady was a race car driver or they were born with a wrench in their hand..... But what can you do......
If you want a little respect, 'what you can do' is show a little respect to the board & it's rules.. 6. New users must introduce themselves in the intro forum. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44274 BTW.. Welcome to the HAMB, nice ride.. CC
**** talkers are almost as bad as people who don't need an intro. If your local guys are the only ones that matter to you....why are you here? It's a simple courtesy and it's one of the rules.
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