1940 Packards in the service

[Lang]

Dredging up an old thread. Found a photo of Douglas Macarthur at Strathpine near Brisbane in 1944. His car is a special Packard (they had stopped car production) supposedly only two built - one for him and one for Eisenhower in Europe. I believe this is incorrect and more were made for the highest level officers but have found no more photos.

Lang

[Bob McNeill]

Does that include the ones converted to pickups with Masonite rear bodies as seen in Oz.

[Lang]

Bob,

Perhaps you are thinking of Pontiacs, I would like to see a photo of them if you have one. Packards are seriously expensive cars to be turning into utes!

Lang

[Bob McNeill]

Sorry Lang ,checked my old pics and they where pontiacs

[servicepub (RIP)]

I have the list of Cdn Army vehicles to May 1940 and no Packards are shown.

C

[Bill Murray]

Hi Lang:

I can at least verify that the 1941 and 1942 Packard Clipper models were catalogued as "official" staff cars for Flag Rank Officers according to multiple sources including my copy of TM-9-2800 of September, 1943.

One of the odd things about the hobby of doing research on soft skins for me is that I rarely save on my hard drive photos of otherwise "ordinary" vehicles like these Packards as they can be found in books and on the net by the hundreds.

You can find photos of both Eisenhower's and Mac's Packard Clippers on Google.

Other than what their assigned drivers may have done to smarten up the rear of the interior passenger compartment and the obligatory Olive Drab paint and maybe some lighting modifications, they were pretty much just as they came from the factory.

I hope this helps a bit.

Bill

[servicepub (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Bill Murray

Hi Lang:

I can at least verify that the 1941 and 1942 Packard Clipper models were catalogued as "official" staff cars for Flag Rank Officers according to multiple sources including my copy of TM-9-2800 of September, 1943.
Bill

Bill,

Are you referring to US 'Flag Rank' officers as I have never seen a Canadian general officer in a Cdn Army Packard? I note your reference is a US Technical Manual.
Clive

[Lang]

Thanks Bill,

I am going back to Texas in September to work on my WC53 Carryall and have found a fellow in Dallas who has a Cadillac staff car of the same era. He claims it was a direct military purchase much the same as the Packards - just squirt some green paint on a production vehicle and send it out. Will be interesting to have a look at it.

Lang