Thom Taylor on the website Hagerty writes:
Originally introduced in 1924, Packard’s eights were known for quality, high machining tolerances, durability, super-smooth idle, and torque-monster pull. To consumers they out-classed Cadillac and Lincoln, surviving the likes of Duesenberg, Marmon, and Pierce-Arrow, to lead the luxury field.
Nothing but the best for Harry!
Here's a detailed video by magician and automotive enthusiast David Charvet looking at a twin of this car in 2011.
Check out the posts below for more cars in Houdini's life.
Related:
Related:
- Houdini buys a Ford
- Under the hood of Houdini's Humber
- LINK: Newspaper Clipping About Houdini Proves The ‘Four-Door Coupe’ Is Nearly 100 Years Old
Thank you for sharing this clipping. Great content about Houdin, as always!
ReplyDeleteThanks Billy! I was excited to find this.
DeleteThis looks like product endorsement. The car company let HH rent the car for free in exchange for endorsing it. I wonder what he was doing driving around downtown Cleveland.
ReplyDeleteIt appears to have been a dealership that gave him the car, but yes, I'm sure that was the deal.
DeleteThe dealership GAVE him the car? What happened to all the cars he owned? How many did he own?
DeleteSorry. Gave him the car to use for the time he was there, I meant.
DeleteThey let him use the car while he was in Cleveland for two weeks with his 3 in 1. Correct? Houdini and automobiles is still a mystery for me. Biographers point out he wasn't a driver and preferred others to do the driving for him. Then there's the Martin Beck photo where he's driving a car decked out in driving clothes. Walter Gibson mentioned driving him around Philly. Did he drive--or didn't he?
DeleteHoudini played Cleveland twice in 1925. This is the first appearance when he was still playing Vaudeville. He returned with the 3 in 1 in November.
DeleteHoudini definitely drove when he was younger. He even claimed to have raced his Humber (the car you see him in with Beck). But he appears to have given up driving sometime after Australia and preferred to be driven. I'm sure he had a driver for this Packard.
Ah--he returned in November with his 3 in 1. Thanks! So he retired from driving after Australia...thanks for clearing that up. I had a feeling somebody drove him around Cleveland.
DeleteYeah, Cleveland!
ReplyDeleteWe're wild about Cleveland this year! :)
DeleteIt just occurred to me that this would have been the car that raced him back to the theater with just 10 minutes to spare after exposing trumpet medium George Renner.
ReplyDeleteSome cars are nice to be driving, other cars like this Packard, are the kind someone like Houdini, would like to be (seen) Driven In.
ReplyDeleteGreat tour of a Packard by David Charvet, you can smell the leather the way he describes it!
Diego Domingo
Link to the Charvet video? Is there a video of the Charvet Packard tour?
DeleteIt's embedded in the post. Do you not see it? If not, use this link.
DeleteLove the Cleveland stories! There seems to be so much new info re The Land lately. --Dale from Cleveland
ReplyDelete