1935 Packard Twelve Dual-Cowl Phaeton takes Best in Show at Greenwich Concours d’Elegance

The San Clementes pose with their Best in Show American-winning 1935 Packard Twelve Dual-Cowl Phaeton. Photos by Bryan McCarthy and Bearded Mug Media, courtesy Greenwich Concours d’Elegance.

Fans of automotive-themed reality television shows expect drama, so inevitably a shop is up against a seemingly impossible deadline to finish a car in time for a show or auction. In the real world, such self-induced chaos is uncommon, but delays and setbacks do occur. In the case of Al and Sandra San Clemente, who’d entered a 1935 Packard Twelve Dual-Cowl Phaeton in the 2017 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, restoration of the car wasn’t completed until the night before the show. Despite this, the San Clemente’s Packard took home Best in Show American honors at last weekend’s event.

In 1935, the big news at Packard was the introduction of the Model 120, a more affordable automobile series targeted to middle class buyers instead of the affluent and elite. That’s not to say the brand’s high-end offerings suffered, as its Senior models (Twelve, Super Eight and Eight) continued to offer luxury and style on par with the finest the world had to offer. Some, like the San Clemente’s dual cowl phaeton, even carried Dietrich body tags, though by 1935 designer Ray Dietrich had long disassociated himself with the company that carried his name and the bodies were mass-produced by the Murray Corporation of America. By late 1937, Packard had abandoned the use of Dietrich-tagged bodies.

Charles B. Gillett and his People’s Choice American-winning 1931 Cadillac 452A All Weather Phaeton.

Power for the 1935 Packard Twelve series automobiles came from a 473.3-cu.in. L-head V-12, introduced in January 1932 (and then displacing 445.5-cu.in.) and initially called the “Twin Six,” a nod to Packard’s earlier V-12 engine. For 1933, perhaps to avoid confusion, the model line was relabeled the Packard Twelve, and for 1935, the engine grew in displacement and received aluminum heads. Output was rated at 175 horsepower, and the engine came mated to a three-speed manual transmission. Power-assisted drum brakes were used in all four corners.

Then, as now, driving (or being driven in) a Packard Twelve was all about being seen, and the dual-cowl phaeton, with its rear windshield and wing windows (but, surprisingly, no side glass for rear passengers) was a popular choice among Senior Packard buyers. It’s an attention-commanding automobile, and while the San Clementes have been regular participants in the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Saturday’s win represents the couple’s first Best in Show at the event.

Best in Show International went to this 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante coupe, owned by a collector wishing to remain anonymous.

Sunday’s show, dedicated to International cars, saw a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante coupe, owned by an anonymous collector and one of just 17 built, take Best in Show honors. Other notable winners in Greenwich included a 1931 Cadillac 452A All Weather Phaeton, owned by Charles B. Gillett, which took the People’s Choice American award, and a 1937 Delahaye 135M Competition Short Wheelbase Roadster, owned by Myron Schuster, which captured the People’s Choice International award.

The People’s Choice International award went to a 1937 Delahaye 135M Competition Short Wheelbase Roadster owned by Myron Schuster.

Look for a complete list of winners by category to appear on GreenwichConcours.com in the coming days, and for additional photos from the show (shot by friend-of-Hemmings Bryan McCarthy and Bearded Mug Media), visit the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance Facebook page or the Bearded Mug Media Facebook page.