Few of these cars were made. And they were expensive: two or three times more costly than Packard's other luxury cars. RM Sotheby's mentions here that: "Far rarer [than Darrin 2-door Convertible Victorias] were the four-door Convertible Sedans, with perhaps 11 or 12 constructed—and most exclusive of all were the Sport Sedans. Counting Darrin’s initial prototype, and two 'production' examples built at Connersville, Indiana’s Central Manufacturing body plant, only three are reported to have been built, each distinctive in its details. Only two are known to survive to the present ."
I have no information regarding how many Rollson Sport Sedans were built. Internet images of survivors suggest there were at least three, provided that none were repainted in a different color.
Racy-looking with the top down, but slight clunky with it raised, as shown here. The hood was lowered, but otherwise the front end is essentially stock.
Unlike the Convertible Sedan, this Sport Sedan's front forward of the cowling appears to be stock, and the overall body taller. The Sport Sedan top is also high, but considerably rounded. That had to do with passenger comfort on the lower prototype shown below and carried over to this version.. Another factor seems to have been the shallow windows with their flat glass (universal in 1940) and perhaps retraction considerations. I think Darrin might have done better here.
This Rollson, shown at the Pebble Beach concours, also has a heavy, rounded top, because it is low like the prototype Darrin. So both Darrin and Rollson faced the same constraints and came up with similar solutions.
Now for side views. Stock Packard items seen here are the fenders. The rear window is in two panels, only the forward one retractable. Compare the passenger compartment greenhouse to that of the Sport Sedan in the following image.
According to the RM Sotheby's link above, "Like the Convertible Sedans, the Sport Sedans rode on the new-for-1940 Packard Custom Super Eight’s 138-inch wheelbase chassis." Comparing the after doors, the sedan's is wider than the convertible's -- hence no two-piece window. However, the window profiles are similar. The difference is due to the shape of the forward doors. That of the convertible is rear-hinged and has an angled front cutline. The sedan's door is front-hinged with a vertical cutline, resulting in a narrow door that allows for a wider aft door.
Here is the prototype car. Its doors and windows are the same as those on the Darrin Convertible Sedans. The "production" sedans' revised doors are due to the need to accommodate fender-mounted spare tires.
The door arrangement is similar to that of the Darrin prototype in the previous image. The most noticeable differences from the Darrin version are the fussier beltline and the more rounded aft window and roof profiles. The Rollson Sport Sedan, like the prototype Darrin show above, is lower than the "production" Darrin Sport Sedan.
The trunk lid and its framing are the only stock Packard items at the rear of Darrin Convertible Sedans and Sport Sedans. They are from Packard coupes.
From this viewpoint, this Sport Sedan is clearly taller than the Convertible Sedan in the previous image.
The front fender appears to be that used for fender-mounted spare tires, but without the wheelwell cutout. (The red Darrin Convertible Sedan in the second image from the top also has such a front fender.) The rounded top is conspicuous here, further accented by the tiny backlight window.
1 comment:
To me the stock Packards looked better. The 120 is a great looking car in my estimation.
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