1954 Barn Find Packard Hearse

So this Packard Hearse has been sitting in the lean to section of this barn since sometime in the 1970’s. However it seems it only has some 37k thousand original miles on it for some reason?

As it turns out it was used to commute from Neshanic Station NJ to Kalamazoo Michigan College! Not only that but it is a Straight 8 Flathead engine and a 3 on the tree standard transmission to boot! So yeah it would seem odd that it is a standard transmission Hearse much less a 3 on the tree. I mean when is the last time you saw a stick Hearse anywhere? Of course the age is basically the reason but then you have to sit and think it was being used not only for the drive from NJ to Michigan and back but also for driving around campus to as I was told a somewhat inebriated teacher is the person who hit the rear quarter when it was parked at a lot! I can’t understand how you could not see a Hearse parked in any parking lot unless the teacher was that plastered?

On to the oddities of what this Hearse has. It has suicide doors in back but many vehicles back then had such doors. So when you open said doors it has a BACK SEAT!

I have dealt with a lot of Hearses at the dealership and never saw one with a back seat until this one. Then an interesting part of the FLATHEAD STRAIGHT 8 would be the fact that it has a factory 4 Barrel Carburetor! Most all the Flatheads I have seen are 2 Barrel Carb engines. So I guess Packard knew how to make Horsepower back in the 50’s with a Flathead. Also even tho this is a 1954 it is pure Packard and has no Studebaker in it as Studebaker bought Packard in ’54 as it was failing. All together it is a very rare automobile with low original miles no mater how odd it is.

1954 Barn Find Packard Hearse
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