Tag Archives: Roadster

Smooth Operator – Packard 1107 Twelve Roadster #73933

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In 1934 the Packard Twelve was available in three chassis lengths with the 1107 sitting twixt the longer 1108 and shorter 1106 with a 142″ wheel base.

Packard 1107 Coupe Roadster, Bonhams, Quail Lodge

By 1934 the 445 cui / 7298 cc engine produced 160hp with the aid of a single Stromberg carburetor.

Packard 1107 Coupe Roadster, Bonhams, Quail Lodge

It is said that the 67° V12 is so smooth that when standing next one idling it is difficult to discern if it is actually running or not.

Packard 1107 Coupe Roadster, Bonhams, Quail Lodge

11th series Packards were fitted with three speed manual transmissions and drum brakes all round.

Packard 1107 Coupe Roadster, Bonhams, Quail Lodge

Chassis #73933 seen in these photographs was restored by Stone Barn Automobile Restorations of Vienna, New Jersey in the mid 1990’s prior to commencing a multiple award winning career on the Concours circuit the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) National Senior First Prize in 2003.

Packard 1107 Coupe Roadster, Bonhams, Quail Lodge

When sold at Bonham’s Quail Lodge Auction in 2014 for US$ 465,000 the was described as having less than 40,000 miles on the clock.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photograph’s taken at the auction a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “Smooth Operator” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for FIAT Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Thermostatic Shutters And Controlled Body Ventilation – Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster

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In 1932 Packard reintroduced V12 motors to power it’s top of the range products which like it’s V12 powered products sold up until 1923 were marketed as Twin Sixes.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

In 1933 the Packard marketing department opted for the simplified “Twelve” designation for it’s 160 hp 445 cui / 7,456 cc V12 powered models the Tenth Series 1005 and 1006.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The 1005 was built on a chassis with a 142 inch wheelbase and the 1006 on a chassis with a 147 inch wheelbase.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

New for 1933 were twin plane or V shaped in plan radiator cowls with colour coded shells to match the rest of the body, which on the shorter 1005 chassis was available in 10 different styles.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

Also new for ’33 were the thermostatic shutters in the side bonnet / hood panels which helped keep the engine running at optimum temperatures.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The Tenth Series bodies were marketed with new controlled body ventilation to minimise unpleasant drafts within.

Packard Series 1005 Custom Twelve Convertible Roadster, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

In all 244 Tenth Series were sold in 1933 of which 50 are believed to have been Convertible Roadster’s of which 16 are believed to have survived.

Eight weeks after a complete restoration of today’s featured Twelve was completed by Nick’s Old Car Specialties in Redlands, California it won a Best of Show at the Marin Sonoma Concours in the summer of 2013 and followed that a couple of weeks later with Automotive Best of Show honors at Dana Point, picking up a third Best in Show at the 7th Annual Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance in February 2014.

My thanks once again to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photograph’s taken at the 7th Annual Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance, Palm Springs in February 2014.

Thanks for joining me on this “Thermostatic Shutters And Controlled Body Ventilation” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for FIAT Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Last True Packard Roadster – Packard 840 DeLuxe Rumble Seat Roadster

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With sales still plummeting from 55,000 in 1928 to 28,000 in 1930 Packard had little option but to keep going after the dwindling high end market it knew it catered to well in 1931.

The Eighth Series Packards were offered on the same centrally lubricated chassis as the 1930 Seventh Series.

Packard 840 DeLuxe Rumble Seat Roadster, San Marino Motor Classic,

By using larger intake and exhaust valves with a three-piece manifold that featured a cylindrical heater chamber to preheat the mixture Packard engineers managed to get 15hp power more from the 384.8 cui / 6.3 litre straight eight making 120hp in total.

The 1931 840 Rumble Seat Roadster would be the last to be supplied without door window’s and therefore the last true Packard roadster to be built.

Packard 840 DeLuxe Rumble Seat Roadster, San Marino Motor Classic,

Just 626 840 DeLuxe Rumble Seat Roadsters would be built before the introduction of the Ninth Series in June 1931.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photographs taken at San Marino Motor Classic, a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “Last True Packard Roadster” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Sixth Series – Packard 640 Custom Eight Roadster #168397

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In 1924 Packard replaced it’s V12 powered top of the range Twin Six models with more powerful and economical straight eights.

Four years later Packard production peaked at 55,000 units in 1928 and in August of that year the company introduced it’s Sixth Series with either 140 inch wheel base 640 chassis as seen here or 145 inch wheel base 645 chassis.

Packard 640 Custom Eight Roadster, Bonhams, Quail Lodge, California

Power for the sixth series came from a single block straight eight with side valves and a seven bearing crank with a capacity of 384.8 cui / 6.3 litres that produced 106hp at 3,200 rpm.

Today’s featured car is equipped with a three speed manual gearbox, semi eliptic springs and drum brakes for all four wheels.

Packard 640 Custom Eight Roadster, Bonhams, Quail Lodge, California

A contemporary report in The Autocar noted “… the big car has the power for traveling right up to a high speed without fuss, without suggestion that the engine is doing much work, without harshness, yet with plenty still in reserve.”

Known history of this car starts with collector Richard C. Paine, Jr who owned from at least 1990.

Packard 640 Custom Eight Roadster, Bonhams, Quail Lodge, California

Mr Paine left instructions for this car an several others from his collection to be sold upon his passing to secure the future of the Seal Cove Auto Museum near Bar Harbor, Maine.

After being bought by a European Museum in 2008 the car is seen in these photographs by Geoffrey Horton waiting to be put under the Bonhams hammer for a second time at the 2013 Quail Lodge Auction where it sold for $126,500 including buyers premium despite requiring “mechanical re-commissioning”.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Sixth Series” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for FIAT Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Riley Inside – Healey Westland

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Having spent a number of difficult years engineering Triumph’s around the companies struggling finances Donald Healey joined Humber and spent his spare time working on a sports car which Triumph had declined to back.

Healey Westland, Silverstone Classic

He then found backers of his own to the tune of £50,000 and set up shop in Warwick after securing a supply of Riley engines and transmissions.

Healey Westland, Silverstone Classic

The chassis of his sports car, which would be shared with a saloons and other body styles featured, expensive, front independent suspension of the type made popular by the pre war Auto Union Grand Prix cars with a Riley rear axle that combined gave a wheelbase of 102 inches.

Healey Westland, Silverstone Classic

The four seat roadster bodies like the one seen here at Silverstone Classic, were manufactured by Westland bodies in Hereford, the four seat Elliot saloon body was manufactured by a shop front manufacturer in Reading.

Healey Westland, Silverstone Classic

Donald Healey specified various modifications to the Riley 2443cc / 149 cui four cylinder twin cam engine, of similar design to those which ERA had also modified for their 1930’s Voiturette Grand Prix cars, to bring the power up to 104hp.

Healey Westland, Silverstone Classic

With a top speed of 100 mph and rest to 60 mph time of 12.8 seconds the Westland was one of the fastest cars of it’s time suffering, like contemporary Bristol’s, only from their relative expense.

Healey Westland, Silverstone Classic

64 Westlands were produced between 1946 and 1950 and it is believed only 13 survive, today’s featured car was built in 1949.

Thanks for joining me on this “Riley Inside” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Mercedes Monday. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Heart Breaker – Mercedes Benz W121 B2 190 SL Roadster

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When Mercedes Benz US importer Max Hoffman suggested that Mercedes Benz build the 300 SL Gullwing Coupé for an exclusive US clientele in 1953 he also suggested they build a more affordable Roadster which became the 190 SL Roadster like the one seen here at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham a few years ago.

Mercedes Benz 190 SL Roadster, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The 190 SL was built on a modified W121 Saloon platform unlike the 300 SL which had a space frame chassis, but used similar double wishbone front and swing axle rear independent suspension.

Power came from a short stroke 1897 cc / 115.7 cui 4 cylinder variant of the 300 SL’s 3 litre / 183 cui over head cam six cylinder engine that produced 120 hp.

Production of the 190 SL commenced in 1955 and continued until 1963 by which time 25,881 examples had been built.

Renowned for melting the hearts of the proudest women the 190 SL included amongst it’s star studded clientele Grace Kelly, Gina Lollobrigida and Bibi Johns.

Thanks for joining me on this “Heart Breaker” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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D Modified – Mercedes Benz 300 SLS Replica

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After 2 successful seasons winning two SCCA Class D Production (DP) championships the Mercedes Benz supplied team of George D Tilp and driver Paul O’Shea were hoping to make it a threepeat even though they were planning on swapping from the 300 SL Gullwing to the new for ’57 300 SL Roadster model.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

However the SCCA would not mandate running the 300SL Roadster in the DP class in 1957 on the grounds that insufficient numbers of the Roadster had been built.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

To get around this problem the Mercedes Benz Rennabteilung built two special lightweight SLS Roadsters for George Tilp to run in the SCCA class D modified for Paul O’Shea.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Dario Franchitti, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

Despite sending George Tilp two cars, two Mercedes Benz race mechanics, Erwin Strupp and Karl Bunz with a container load of spares, the plan was to run only one car to give the operation the semblance of a privateer effort, however after Paul crashed one car at Thompson Connecticut and turned up six days later with an apparently completely repaired car at Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin the cat was out of the bag that George Tilp had two cars at his disposal for Paul.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Dario Franchitti, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

Paul went on to threepeat his and Mercedes Benz third SCCA class championship and the two SLS Roadsters were returned to the Mercedes Benz factory where they were scrapped, allegedly over fears the lightweight bodies would deteriorate.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Dario Franchitti, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

Subsequently numerous SLS variations have appeared most notably Chuck Porter built and raced one very successfully, where the second S stood for scrap, from a burned out Gullwing that closely resembled the 1955 300 SLR’s, several roadsters have also been converted to Tilp / O’Shea SLS replica’s more recently using 300 SL Roadster donor cars, including one by Kienle Automobiltechnik, in Heimerdingen, Germany.

Today’s featured replica seen at Goodwood Festival of Speed with Indy Legend Dario Franchitti at the wheel, was converted to SLS spec by Mercedes Benz who used one of their former test 300 SL Roadsters as a starting point.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for information on his Uncle George Tilp’s racing team.

Thanks for joining me on this “D Modified” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a triumph of presence over elegance. Don’t for get to come back now !

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