Now offered for sale through RM Sotheby’s Private Sales, this 1930 Packard 745 Deluxe Eight Roadster stands as an exceptional example of Packard’s most prestigious prewar automobiles. A CCCA Full Classic, it combines significant provenance, award-winning restoration, and an unusually distinguished competition history.
The Seventh Series Packards introduced for 1930 are widely regarded among the marque’s finest creations, with the 745 Deluxe Eight occupying the pinnacle of the range. Built on Packard’s expansive 145½-inch-wheelbase chassis, it was powered by a 7.3-liter straight-eight featuring seven main bearings and producing approximately 105 brake horsepower. Its substantial torque and refined engineering made it ideally suited to the effortless, quiet high-speed touring expected of a luxury Packard.
Among 11 available body styles, the two-passenger Roadster was particularly desirable. Its dramatic proportions—defined by an exceptionally long hood and compact cockpit—gave the car the unmistakable presence of an expensive sporting automobile. High original pricing ensured limited production, making surviving examples especially coveted today.
This Roadster reportedly began its life with Philadelphia sporting-goods manufacturer John Shibe, a member of the family associated with the Philadelphia Athletics. Oral history further connects the Packard with legendary Athletics manager and co-owner Connie Mack, with an original registration reportedly discovered bearing his name.
After spending decades in Pennsylvania, including years stored beneath a farm lean-to, the Packard was acquired in the 1980s by Virginia collector Mark Smith. It later passed through the hands of Packard enthusiast Mike Fairbairn before Robert Thayer acquired it in 1996 following years of pursuit.
Thayer commissioned RM Auto Restoration to undertake a comprehensive, three-year restoration requiring approximately 6,000 man-hours. The results were validated on the concours circuit, including a First in Class at Pebble Beach in 1998 and a perfect 100-point Primary First at the CCCA Midwest Grand Classic. Further honors followed at Hilton Head and Amelia Island.
Following Thayer’s collection dispersal in 2021, the Packard was acquired by noted collector Joseph Cassini III, who returned it to RM Auto Restoration for a cosmetic freshening. Finished in black with a dark green interior, it returned to Pebble Beach in 2022 and earned Second in Class. More recently, it received awards at MODA Miami and The Amelia in 2026.
Freshly serviced by RM Auto Restoration, this 745 Deluxe Eight Roadster represents an outstanding opportunity to acquire a scarce, historically significant, and extensively documented Senior Packard equally suited to prestigious concours competition or sophisticated prewar touring.
Source: RM Sotheby’s
