Photo: Bring a Trailer
A one-of-a-kind vintage American V12-powered car would be a great addition to any car collector’s garage. Even examples that visibly carry decades of hard-earned patina are highly coveted and expensive.
An unrestored car built in the 1950s is now looking for a new owner, and not any kind of owner but one with the willingness and financial resources to take on a restoration project to turn the car into a show-ready example.
Known as the Bill Miller Packard Twelve Special, this one-off car is said to have been developed and built in 1954, based on a chassis of a 1938 Packard seven-passenger touring limousine. Its wheelbasse was shortened from 139 inches to 105 inches (353 cm to 266 cm) to fit the new build.
Said chassis was fitted with a two-door steel bodywork made by Bohman & Sons of Pasadena, California, which also received modifications to the front clip and rear panels.
A passionate car and motor racing lover, Bill Miller built this particular example as a sporting boulevard cruiser rather than a sports car, and he decided to equip it with a pre-WWII 476 cubic-inch (7.8-liter) Packard V12 because he saw the engine as the closest thing to a Ferrari V12, but more affordable. The mill was rated modest in terms of output, rated at just 175 hp (177 ps), but it really delivered in terms of torque, with 366 lb-ft (496 Nm) at just 1,400 rpm.
About five years ago, the car was bought by the Petersen Automotive Museum in a partially disassembled condition and an uninstalled V12 engine.
As you can see in the pictures, the Bill Miller Packard Twelve Special is currently in project condition and in dire need of restoration. The body has visible signs of the passage of time, with corrosion present across the panel surfaces, the louvered hood panel is unattached as it has a different proportion than the hood opening, and the entire bodywork is obviously unpainted. The bumpers, headlights, and windshield are missing.
The good news is it still preserves its four-speed manual transmission, a steering gearbox, a custom radiator, and steel wheels. Additionally, some uninstalled components are included in the sale, such as two steering wheels, suspension and brake components, a differential, lighting, hubcaps, and more. The Packard L-head V12 engine is also included in the sale and is mounted on a display stand. The listing does not mention the condition of its internal components.
The Packard Special project is up for grabs at no reserve via Bring a Trailer out of Los Angeles, California.
Known as the Bill Miller Packard Twelve Special, this one-off car is said to have been developed and built in 1954, based on a chassis of a 1938 Packard seven-passenger touring limousine. Its wheelbasse was shortened from 139 inches to 105 inches (353 cm to 266 cm) to fit the new build.
Said chassis was fitted with a two-door steel bodywork made by Bohman & Sons of Pasadena, California, which also received modifications to the front clip and rear panels.
A passionate car and motor racing lover, Bill Miller built this particular example as a sporting boulevard cruiser rather than a sports car, and he decided to equip it with a pre-WWII 476 cubic-inch (7.8-liter) Packard V12 because he saw the engine as the closest thing to a Ferrari V12, but more affordable. The mill was rated modest in terms of output, rated at just 175 hp (177 ps), but it really delivered in terms of torque, with 366 lb-ft (496 Nm) at just 1,400 rpm.
About five years ago, the car was bought by the Petersen Automotive Museum in a partially disassembled condition and an uninstalled V12 engine.
As you can see in the pictures, the Bill Miller Packard Twelve Special is currently in project condition and in dire need of restoration. The body has visible signs of the passage of time, with corrosion present across the panel surfaces, the louvered hood panel is unattached as it has a different proportion than the hood opening, and the entire bodywork is obviously unpainted. The bumpers, headlights, and windshield are missing.
The good news is it still preserves its four-speed manual transmission, a steering gearbox, a custom radiator, and steel wheels. Additionally, some uninstalled components are included in the sale, such as two steering wheels, suspension and brake components, a differential, lighting, hubcaps, and more. The Packard L-head V12 engine is also included in the sale and is mounted on a display stand. The listing does not mention the condition of its internal components.
The Packard Special project is up for grabs at no reserve via Bring a Trailer out of Los Angeles, California.
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