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Ask the man who owns one too many.<br /><br />1949 PACKARD EIGHT STATION SEDAN<br /><br />A wooden powder keg of Detroitandrsquo;s finest buttercream, this is a beautifully preserved, meticulously detailed, faithful example, done for the love of the project. A west coast car, sorted, strong and solid, this is Packardandrsquo;s Double-Duty Beauty, fully dressed, with a handsome boatload of extras.<br /><br />KING OF THE CARRY-ALLSandhellip; HEAR, HEAR!<br />QUEEN OF THE HIGHBALLSandhellip; HICCUP!<br /><br />Country club charm. Carry-all convenience. Grand as an Adirondack lodge. With luxurious seating for six and 21 square feet of cargo space, Packardandrsquo;s Double-Duty Beauty chauffeured post-war giddy, tipsy ballroom-hopping parties all night long, into quiet, red-eyed retreats to field and stream come first light on the weekend. Whether hauling fishing kit and hunting rifles, or blue-ribbon flats of flowers for 4-H Club competitions, it is ruggedly constructed and dutifully well-rounded as an Octoberfest beauty queen tapping kegs of Olde Frothingslosh on a 1949 auto parts calendar page. No matter what adventure it inspired, itandrsquo;s elegance and engineering is without a doubt, pure Packard.<br /><br />According to Robert J. Nealandrsquo;s wonderfully researched publication, PACKARD 1948-1950, the utilitarian Station Sedan is a unique, rare model. This exclusive, bobbed boat tail beauty is one of 3,800 examples hand-built in a very limited run, before the model was discontinued by the end of 1950. How many survived almost seventy years of inevitable decay, neglect and Mother Natureandrsquo;s entropy? Iandrsquo;ve seen recently that they make a super-deluxe ventilated chicken coop when the Terminixandreg; contract is up, the wheels and glass are shot out into the weeds, frame down to the ground and only the glovebox will hold a dayandrsquo;s fresh eggs, because the rest fall past the upholstery carcass through floors of swiss cheese to the fox.<br /><br />ENDLESS HOURS. COUNTLESS HANDS.<br />A FINE EXAMPLE FROM COAST TO COAST.<br /><br />This particular Station Sedan benefits from extensive preservation of itandrsquo;s existing personality from caches of NOS spares and even more, the talent, enthusiasm and discretion of Packard Club members who built old and new back together, so seamlessly, that itandrsquo;s soul remains intact.<br /><br />Since 2010:<br />4,000 miles after an extensive cosmetic restoration.<br />1,000 miles on current mechanical preservation.<br />( Danger! Run-on story and potholes of detail ahead. )<br /><br />- VIN data plate G272898<br />( CA DMV renumbered, long ago. Possibly on top of the Packard renumbering of Station Sedans up to three times before selling these slow moving, expensive models over three calendar years. )<br />- Series 2201<br />- Briggs body style tag: Model 2293-5025<br />- Firewall theft tracking number: 837728<br />- Paint Scheme: W ( Arizona Beige )<br />- Trim Code 614: Tan leatherette and pinstripe vinyl<br />- 120-inch wheelbase<br />- Gross weight: 4,080 attractive pounds<br />Assorted date stamps:<br />- Clock: 9-48<br />- PPG/Herculite/LOF Safety Plate glass:10-48<br />- Speedometer: 11-48<br />( This car was a respectable restoration candidate over ten years ago with 70,000 miles on the clock. )<br /><br />A COSMETIC RESTORATION SO EYES NEVER TIRE IN ADMIRATION.<br /><br />Mae West opined, a woman should cultivate her curves, They may look dangerous, but theyandrsquo;ll be impossible to avoid. This Station Sedan has become again a compelling feast for the eyes, making a Vargas pin-up break from the wooden fruit crate box utility that defined wagon design since the drawl of a horse. All Packards are famous for being a sight to behold. This car is no exception, possessing an organic shape that is as much a piece of minimalist sculpture as it is a sumptuous way to get from here to there.<br /><br />WOOD:<br />About 2/3 of the original honey-toned wood was preserved
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