Monday, September 12, 2016

Packard hunting car


It began life as a Packard Super Eight LeBaron All Weather Town Car, delivered from the factory Park Avenue dealership in New York City on Christmas Eve 1933.

it began its career on a Westchester County estate. At some point, one of its owners took it to Peter McAvoy & Son, a commercial auto body builder in New Rochelle, New York, about 20 miles north of Manhattan.

McAvoy knew his trade. Born in Ireland in about 1860, he immigrated to the United States in 1881. By 1910, the census listed him as the proprietor of a wagon factory, and indeed the City of New Rochelle enlisted him to repair carts for the Street Department. His occupation was upgraded to “carriage builder” by the 1920 census, but the 1918 city directory had already listed him under “Auto Bodies,” so he was prescient in his trade. His son James joined him in the business and became the president of Peter McAvoy & Son after his father’s death in 1929.

Cutting the LeBaron body off just aft of the division partition, the McAvoys constructed a high-quality wood body in its place. Seeking maximum utility, they extended it a full five feet beyond the rear axle of the already-lengthy 147-inch wheelbase. As completed, it is equipped with two fuel tanks, greatly extending its range between fill-ups.

Sliding glass rear windows, large roof vents, tether rings around the body, and a lack of any seating or racks for firearms all suggest it was built for the transport of hunting dogs.





notice the exhaust is up over the roof

https://www.facebook.com/groups/834204169970608/
http://ruotevecchiedb.altervista.org/packard-super-eight-hunting-car-20160912/

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