“My father always talked about the Packard’s they owned, he even drove a 1929 Packard to school. But I was into sports cars and Corvettes, until one day in high school, a buddy of mine let me drive his father’s Packard. It all changed then and there, I understood what my Dad was talking about. There really is nothing like the power, the feel, the workmanship, they are truly special machines,” Signom said.
Signom purchased the building at 420 S. Ludlow St. in Dayton in 1991, knowing that it once was a Packard dealership, precisely to attempt to open a museum. The dealership open in 1917 as the Citizens Motorcar Co. and the original Packard sign was discovered inside and now graces the corner of the building.
America’s Packard Museum opened in 1992 and the green Packard roadster sitting in the showroom was the car Signom’s father drove in high school.
“I found the car in New York, and had it shipped back here, and it turned out to be the actual car,” Signom said.
In addition to displaying Packards from 1903 through 1958, the museum also has a period-correct service area, parts facility and still stocks and sells original parts for Packard enthusiasts.
One of the more rare machines recently put on display is a 1936 Fernandez Darrin bodied Boattail Speedster on a Packard 12 chassis.
“This is one of only five boattail Speedsters built by Dutch Darrin,” Signom explained. “They mainly built chauffeured limousines, about 300 all together, but in ’35 & ’36 they did these five cars, one each on a Delage, Buick, Duesenberg and Packard 8 and 12 chassis. We believe that the Delage and Buick still exist,” he said.
This machine features the 12-cylinder engine modified to put out over 200 horsepower. It also features a rare 4-speed transmission, with a long shift lever in the two-seat cockpit trimmed in grey leather.
The car won Best of Class in its first showing in September at the Dayton Concours d’Elegance at Carillon Park, where it was also a finalist for Best of Show. It is on loan to the museum by its owner, a collector from Florida.
America’s Packard Museum is the home of The Packard Club, which is the national organization for Packard aficionados. There are about 50 cars on display in the 25,000-square-foot museum that occupies two buildings on the property. The museum is open Monday through Friday, from noon to 5 pm and Saturday and Sunday, from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for students.
The 18th annual Winter Weekend, which features a sale, technical sessions and entertainment, is scheduled for Feb. 25-27, 2011. For more information, go to www.americaspackardmuseum.org.