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Unique 1999 Packard Twelve Up For Auction

Even though the iconic automaker ceased to exist at the end of the '50s, Packard wasn't out of business for good. After acquiring the brand for $50,000 in 1992, Roy Gullickson and his team created a working prototype in 1999, dubbed the Packard Twelve.
1999 Packard Twelve 11 photos
Photo: RM Auctions
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Unfortunately, the plucky Gullickson and his company didn't succeed in finding investors to help him with $30 million for building circa 2,000 vehicles per year at $160,000 a pop by the end of 2010.

In total, the concept vehicle which might've revived the legendary American manufacturer costed Roy a cool $1,5 million of his own money. After the unsuccessful attempt in selling the car and company together in 2007, Gullickson announced that the Twelve prototype will be offered without reserve at RM's July 26th auction event in Plymouth, Michigan.

Featuring an aluminum space-frame chassis and an 119-inch (3,023 millimeters) wheelbase, the Twelve was once described by its owner as being "every bit as good as a Mercedes or BMW.” Under the long, streamline hood, engineers fitted an 8.6-liter (525-cubic inch) Falconer Racing V12 tower of power, with port fuel injection from General Motors.

Coupled to a 4L80E automatic gearbox, 440 horsepower were sent to all four wheels. Despite its large size and apparent heaviness, the concept is said to weigh just 1,7 tones (3,750 pounds) thanks to lightweight materials used for the chassis and the bodywork. The oomph was enough to propel the luxury limousine from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4.8 seconds.

With only 300 miles on the odometer, how much do you think this unique Packard Twelve is worth now?
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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