MEDINA, Ohio — It’s the kind of plot that movies are made of. An accidental moment leads someone in a direction never expected. A dream is born — does it ever come true?
A few weeks ago, Packard Motors opened in Medina with a new 1934-style Packard convertible as its central point.
One of the “Three Ps” — alongside Peerless Motor Company and Pierce-Arrow — the Packard company was known for building high-quality, luxury automobiles before World War II. The vehicle price was five or six times that of its American contemporaries.
The handmade vehicles were exported in record numbers to Europe and competed successfully with Rolls Royce and Mercedes Benz.
But how did this revival come to be? Why Packard? Why Medina?
The opening scene of this story began in 2019, when internet consultant Scott Andrews was driving to a job and saw a car for sale on the side of the road. He was intrigued by the look of the car, but didn’t recognize the brand.
He called his father, a lifelong auto mechanic.
“Have you ever heard of Packard?” he asked.
His father was astonished that they had never discussed the iconic American luxury automobile. And the adventure began.
Andrews, who grew up in…
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