1958 Packard Clipper

This motor car is being sold as part of an overseas collection. It has been imported under the Bonhams temporary admission customs bond and is therefore subject to the lower rate 5% import tax if the car is to remain in the UK & purchased by a private individual.

The 5% is calculated on the final selling price. For example, if the car sells for £6,000, then £300 is added, making the total amount payable of £6,300.

Companies buying this car will pay duty + VAT and also VAT on the hammer.

The winning bidder will receive a receipt for the final hammer value, and proof that HMRC fees are paid. If the car is subsequently exported abroad within 30 days then these fees are refundable.

Lastly, there will be a nominal administration fee of £250 for processing the NOVA application, and payable direct to the shipping company. A completed and processed NOVA will provide you formal proof that all duties & taxes are paid in UK and thus allow you to register the vehicle with the DVLA

In common with the majority of cars in this collection, this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

We have not tried to start or drive the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.

It is available for view and inspection at our HQ near Abingdon and you and/or your appointed engineer should inspect it before placing any bid.

With the proviso that we haven’t been able to start or drive this car and can therefore only attest to its cosmetic condition, we think this 1958 Studebaker-Packard ‘Clipper’ Station Wagon (VIN: 58L7809) is a very well preserved and beautifully conditioned example of an extremely rare model.

In keeping with many cars from the vendor’s static display collection, this vehicle comes to us with no service records or history to speak of.

Here’s what we think we know.

We know that this car was alive and well and happily going about it’s business in New York State in 2010.

We believe that it entered the vendor’s collection sometime in 2012/13.

And we’re certain that we’ve discovered the following description of this very car, from 2011, on a Netherlands-registered website called PostWarClassic.com. The accompanying pictures showed the car to be in pretty much the same excellent condition it’s in today.

“Visitor Peter 's 1958 Packard Station Wagon is car number 116 of only 159 built before the end of Packard. It has every available option except power brakes. 289 V8 with 4-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust, Flight-O-Matic Borg Warner 3-speed automatic, twin traction (limited slip) differential, power steering, dealer installed air conditioning, electric windows, tinted glass, padded dash and visors, signal seeking radio with retractable antenna, electric clock, chrome luggage rack, disappearing rear-facing third seat, wide white-wall tires, tissue dispenser. With only 68,000 miles from new. Have you ever seen another one?”

Lastly, we know that its odometer currently reads 68,871 miles.

So, there you have it.

It’s a striking looking vehicle, that’s for sure.

Being American and made in the 1950s it is, of course, massive, covered in chrome and bristling with fins.

And, aesthetically it’s both distinctive and intriguing if not exactly beautiful. There are spikes and angles and recesses and nooks and crannies everywhere.

It’s a rich, metallic bronze colour with a cream roof and a gold mesh strip running the length of each sculpted flank.

The bodywork is remarkably true, the panels are straight, and there are no dinks, dents, creases, folds, nicks or scrapes of any significance to report, save for a few expected bumps and bruises on the front valance.

The panels are smooth and the shut lines as consistent and even as anything this size and age could reasonably hope to achieve.

The paint fair glimmers with sheen and lustre. It’s really very pleasant on the eye and is generally in top condition.

There’s some lacquer missing just below the windscreen on the o/s/f wing and what looks like the residue of a strip of adhesive tape on the o/s/f door.

The acres of chrome work are mainly in top condition, bar the odd spot of foxing.

The exception to this rule is the front bumper, where a large section of the chrome has now been replaced with surface rust. It should be easy enough to clean up and re-chrome it.

The wheels look good. The roof and luggage rack look good. The lights, lenses and badging look good. Even the exterior rubber trim around the windows has broadly resisted the temptation to perish or wither.

There is no bubbling or blistering of note anywhere that we can see.

The same high levels of originality and preservation are in evidence on the inside.

The interior is really very impressive indeed and is wonderfully evocative its era.

The brown vinyl front bench seats are in excellent condition and look pretty much as good as new…with the unfortunate exceptions of a small tear in the vinyl at the top of the upright cushion behind the driver and a split in the vinyl at the base of the driver’s seat cushion.

The rear bench seats are fine.

The carpets look pretty much unworn, clean and ready to go.

The door cards, with their delightful tweed inserts, are in fine fettle all round.

The headlining is mainly good, but there is some staining at the edges and a few small tears in the section above the driver.

The most obvious issues with the interior are the various places where the trim has parted company with its home surface and is now dangling free or otherwise making a bid for freedom.

There are some dents in the chrome trim below the driver’s window.

The large luggage area is in great condition, too, and is currently home to a spare wheel. The split tailgate works perfectly and is untroubled by time or use. The concealed pop-up seat is equally good.

The charmingly anachronistic dashboard is in good nick, as is the steering wheel and most of the interior fixtures and fittings.

We can’t make any claims about the functionality of switches, knobs, levers, toggles, buttons, dials or other electrics as we haven’t been able to start the vehicle.

Lifting up the carpets reveals some superficial rust dust but nothing that would cause alarm bells to ring, as far as we can see.

The undersides look strong, solid and honest. There is, as far as we can see, plenty of structural integrity here.

Clearly, you’ll want to see for yourself and reach your own conclusion.

The engine and engine bay seem to be in very good condition, with everything looking clean, dry and in its right and proper place.

The car doesn’t come with a service history or any record of work done.

Currently, it has neither an MoT certificate nor a V5.

The document written in Arabic is not an original title document. It is a facsimile of a certificate of unknown provenance or meaning.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

We haven’t been able to start or drive the car so our understanding of it is somewhat limited.

That said, provided the car’s engine and mechanicals are in proper working order and ready for recommissioning, we think this could make for a fabulous car.

Only 159 of these were ever made.

How many are still in existence today?

And of those that have survived, how many could hope to give this one a run for its money in terms of condition and quality?

Our guess, is very few – if any.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £6,000 - £10,000, plus Bonhams bond payment and £250 NOVA fee.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.