The Car With The history!

Hi blippers, I hope you like to hear a story!

In the blip is Packard Twelwe Touring Limousine from 1939. As it is the car of former mr President and as I liked it's rather peculiar story a lot, I just had to tell it to you too!

The car was actually year 1938 model and appeared 1938 Paris Car show. The car was then appeared in Helsinki international Car show in 1939 and purchased directly from the exhibition by managing diretor of Suomi-Filmi for 356.000,00FIM.

This 12-cylinder model was truly one of the finest cars of it's time, tells the exhibition sign in Mobilia car museum where we visited today.

It was requistioned from the first owner Nils Dahlström to the Finnish Army in 1941. The Packcard Limousine served also mr President Mannerheim driven first by 20-year old Kauko Ranta as his chauffer and later by Mannerheim's personal army chauffer.

Mannerheim gave up the car in 1948 and it was sold first to Uusikaupunki boat yards exhibition car. But already in 1954 it was sold to Kökar, Åland and was used as a taxi there... In 1957 the Packard Limousine was bought by Carl Norlund from Sund for only 250,00FIM - mainly only because of it's tyres. The car was transferred to him, but had to be chopped into two parts then, because it was too big for the ferry used: It was cut into two half pieces with an _axe_ behing the chauffer's seat and glass wall.

The car had remained into two pieces until 1976, as a 'Packard-enthusiast' found it. This man Dag Söderström started the removation of the car from it's motor and the renovation was continued in 1979 by the next owner Kaarlo Halikko in Helsinki. Restoration of chassis and body had proceeded relatively well up till 1983, when during painting a car standing next to Packard caught fire and was completely burnt. Luckily the Packard suffered only smoke damages.

In 1986 the Packard was moved over to the Siltala boat-yards, who completed the immensley demanding renovation in 1986.

The Packard Twelwe is now nearly on original condition with only internal phone and radio missing. And it can be seen in an exhibition in Kangasala, in Mobilia Car Exhibition - among many other 'jewellerys'

The End.

A family day trip to Mobilia Car Exhibition and swimming in warm lake Längelmävesi.

Later visited grandparents and enjoyed a short and mild thunderstom too.

Lovely +29c, sunny day. Night swim in our home lake in the middle of the night...

Susanna