Packard Plant destroyed by weekend fires

I just noticed this story in the Old Cars Weekly Blog and quickly decided that I need to post this here and let our readers know that this part of our old car history is now gone up in smoke. This article is excerpted from the Old Car Weekly Blog and is used here for information purposes only and is not intended or used in any way as an infringement of their ownership rights. For your information I have a picture of the last car made at the plant which was a centenniel edition made in 1999 to celebrate 100 years of Packard History. The plant closed down in 1956 and has been in shambles since then.

According to several online sources, the sprawling, five-story, 3.5 million square feet complex has been abandoned for a number of years, and firefighters have made nearly weekly visits to the fire-plagued site in recent months. On Sunday, a two-alarm fire sent firefighters there to battle a blaze that started on the fourth floor. Jason Frattinni of Firehouse.com reported that Sunday’s fire raged most of the day and through the night before it eventually burned out. Crews worked through the night and continued to work into Monday. Causes of the recent fires at the site have stemmed from scrappers working with acetylene torches and by vandals.Concerned with hazards, the Detroit Fire Department had ordered personnel to stay out of the interior of the complex while fighting a fire. They had held special training sessions there so neighboring fire units would be familiar with the plant.The complex, consisting of 43 buildings, was designed by Albert Kahn and opened on Detroit’s eastside in 1907. Luxury vehicles were made there until 1956. It was sold the following year for $750,000. From the late 1970s through the late 1980s, the building was used as the Motor City Industrial Park. According to the Detroit Free Press it was most recently owned by Bioresource Inc., which emerged with the title after a lengthy court battle with the City of Detroit. The company was declared dissolved by the state in 2003 after failing to pay city taxes.

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1934 Packard V-12 LeBarron, tripic

1934 Packard V-12 LeBarron tripic, click picture to enlarge.

These tripic images are from a catalogue published by the Danbury Mint Company and are used only for information purposes and are not intended to be an infringement of their possession rights. I have bought one f their die cast models that is a near duplicate of an old 1955 Ford Fairlane that I have used in a coupole of car shows to win a couple of trophies. I would display my die cast model along with my full sized car and some people would enjoy the model more than the real car. I will fully and completely recommend the Danbury Mint die cast models to anyone that wants to get these superbly detailed models for their own pleasure. In my opinion, they are undoubtedly the best that there is available.

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1932 Buick Series 80 Victoria

1932 Buick Series 80 Victoria, click picture to enlarge.

The 1932 Buicks were available in four different series, the 50,60,80 and 90. They were all straight 8 cylinders and had a fresh new look that appealed to the public, but unfortunately the public was not buying. The Great Depression of the late twenties and early thirties had slowed almost everything down to a standstill and people were just not able to buy much of anything. Buick's sales for 1932 dropped more than 50%.

The Series 80 had only two models, one of which was the handsome Victoria shown here in this picture. It was a five passenger traveler's coupe and had a 126 inch wheelbase and 113 horsepower straight 8 engine and a three speed transmission. It sold for about $1,540.

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