By Paul Lacitinola
In 1937 you could buy a new house for $4,100, or you could rent a home for $26. Hamburger was 12 cents per pound, and a loaf of bread was only 9 cents. You could drive a new car home for $760, and gas was only 10 cents per gallon. The downside was that your annual income was only around $1,780. This Packard motorhome was not in every driveway.
The Packard motorhome
Packard was an American luxury automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobile was produced in 1899, and the last one in 1956. During the Depression, Packard was producing more affordable cars. In 1935, the company introduced its first car for under $1,000. Sales more than tripled that year and doubled again in 1936.
One-of-a-kind
The owners found this one-of-a-kind Packard motorhome in a barn in San Bernardino, CA. Since it had been stored out of the weather, it was preserved in amazing original condition. A good cleaning and a clear coat over the exterior’s subtle patina were all it needed to restore the original beauty of this museum-quality coach.
The six-cylinder flathead motor only took a little coaxing to get it going. With only 40,000 miles on the odometer, it is barely broken in. At only 10 cents a gallon for gas, you could fill it up for what a gallon costs today!
What is it worth today?
The owner has been offered well into six figures for this black beauty, but for now, it is not enough motivation for him to part with his peek at the past.
What else was happening in 1937?
- Amelia Earhart mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during a circumnavigation flight.
- Walt Disney premieres “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- The German airship Hindenburg bursts into flames while attempting to moor at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
- Actor and future U.S. President Ronald Reagan makes his film debut in “Love Is on the Air.”
- The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is opened.
- Aviator Howard Hughes breaks his transcontinental flight speed record when he flies from Los Angeles to Newark in seven hours, 28 minutes, and 25 seconds.
- Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second term.
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“The owner has been offered well over six figures…”
Well OVER? Which would be in the millions since more than 6 is 7 figures.
Or, well INTO? Since the title line says it’s worth six figures, I assume the latter.
An item is worth whatever someone is willing to pay. Six figures means $100,000 or more. It doesn’t mean close to $900,000. Would I pay six figures for this? No. I have seen people with too much wealth waste their money on worthless junk. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
Hi, Mark. Kinda like that crypto billionaire who bought a banana taped to a wall (supposedly “art”) for $6.2 million, and then ate it?😲 Ridiculous! Think of all the starving people in the world he could have helped.🫤 Have a great day. 😀 -Diane at RVtravel.com
Well, his 6.2 million helped at least one other person.
True. I had the thought run through my sometimes-questionable brain that maybe they worked out a deal whereby he would pay the artist $6.2 million, then the artist would give it back except for maybe several thousand. Hmmmm.🤔 Lots of publicity for not much money. Take care, Bill. 😀 –Diane
Thanks, Mikal. I changed it to make it more clear/accurate. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I remember being given the choice to go for parts in a new 66 vw or a 1937 Packard 120 roadster, what a fun car to drive.
Thank you, Paul! It certainly is pretty. Do they use it, or merely take it to shows? Happy new year and safe travels!