My expert take on this offerStarting with the odometer. This five-digit gauge reads 1,000 miles total. The current owner has added 800 of them over 12 years, which means the previous owner, who held the car through a concours refurbishment and a Chairman's Trophy win, put fewer than 200 miles on it before it passed to the current estate.img_1439-51992 The refurbishment happened in 2003. One year later, this exact car won the Chairman's Trophy at Meadow Brook, one of the most scrutinized pre-war concours events in North America. The cowl today carries a CCCA Premier Senior National First Prize badge and a Packard Automobile Classics National Meet First Prize badge alongside it. The 2004 physical trophy transfers with the sale. A clean Texas title is in the seller's name, and an oil and filter change was done in preparation for the listing.Dark blue over red leather is the right call on an R231 this size, and whoever oversaw the 2003 work understood that. The pinstriping keeps the exterior from reading too flat, the red-piped convertible top ties back to the interior, and the period accessories, Sportlite spot lamp, dual recessed side-mount spares with mirrors, fold-down luggage rack, rotary-dial radio, golf-club storage behind lockable quarter-panel doors, are present and correct without turning the car into a prop. It looks like it was built this way, which is the point.Video walk-around on this exact 1939 Packard TwelveNeed New Tires? Save Up To 30% at Tire RackFind the perfect tires for your exact vehicle and driving style. Click here to shop all top-tier brands, including Michelin, Bridgestone, and more, directly at Tire Rack.Why the 1707 spec and powertrain matter for buyersThe 1939 Twelve sits on the short-wheelbase 1707 platform at 134 3/8 inches, five inches tighter than the 1708, and this particular body is the style-1239 convertible coupe, one of 14 catalog body styles offered across both wheelbases that year. The 1707 convertible coupe is the more proportionally athletic configuration, and it is the rarer open-top choice relative to the longer-wheelbase variants.The engine under that long hood is the 473.3ci L-Head V12 with aluminum cylinder heads, side valves, a four-main-bearing crankshaft, and a single downdraft carburetor. Engine number B602377 is stamped on the block and serves as the identification number on the Texas title. Factory output was 175 horsepower at 3,200 RPM, 10 hp less than Cadillac's Series 90 V16, and 25 more than Lincoln's Model K. Power runs through a column-shifted three-speed manual, which was an optional upgrade over the standard floor-shift arrangement. The Safe-T-Flex front suspension uses upper A-arms mounted to lever-arm hydraulic shocks and wide-angle lower A-arms formed by control and torque arms, with coil springs throughout. The rear runs a solid axle on leaf springs with lever-arm hydraulic shocks. Vacuum-assisted hydraulic drum brakes handle all four corners. The 8.25-16 BFGoodrich Silvertown wide-whitewall tires on body-color wheels with bright hubcaps and beauty rings are the correct period specification.img_1455-52060 Packard was not building this engine to hit a horsepower benchmark. It was built to be inaudible at speed, effortless under load, and essentially immortal with appropriate maintenance.img_1450-52041 1939 Packard Twelve 1707 quick takeOne of 446. Final year. Chairman's Trophy. Roughly 1,000 miles on a concours restoration. Two national first-prize badges on the cowl. The case for this car makes itself. The 1939 Packard Twelve is the last expression of an era when American luxury manufacturers competed on engineering ambition rather than option packages, and the 1707 convertible coupe body is the version of that argument you actually want in your garage.
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