Clark Gable’s 1937 Packard Darrin
This Darrin was one of the first cars to come from the coach builder Howard “Dutch” Darrin’s new ‘Darrin of Paris’ shop in California. Staid Packer executives were not originally enamored with it, but that changed once the Convertible Victoria was shown at the 1939 Detroit convention as the “Glamour Car of the Year.” This 1937 example was first owned by Hollywood actor Clark Gable, and shortly thereafter by equally famous actor Errol Flynn.
Based upon the Packard Eight Business Coupe, little of the original body work was left untouched by Darrin. Still, it retained enough design lineage to remain immediately recognizable as a Packard. This car was the second to be ordered from Darrin’s shop, presumably after Clark Gable had seen the first one motoring around Hollywood by actor Dick Powell. The dashing and debonair Gable, at the time Hollywood’s top draw, had a well-known appetite for fast, sexy cars.
Unfortunately, for him the car was so attractive and he so sexy, women were said to fall in line behind him, forming parades as he drove down the street. Others would jump into the car at stoplights! He apparently tolerated that for a month before returning the car to Darrin, as he was simply unable to enjoy the car in peace.
Darrin sympathized with Gable, saying he felt sorry for the poor guy, as “Gable was a nut for automobiles. …When he got one of mine, he didn’t dare drive down the street in it. It was tough, particularly after he’d spent weeks in the shop, watching it being built, like a man with a new house.” Needless-to-say, all the attention did wonders for Darrin’s business. “Dutch” Darrin was quite a colorful character in his own right. Read my post, “A Car With a Pocket Door” to learn more.
This car has changed color and had the interior stitch styling and door cards revised from the original 1982 restoration of black paint on red interior. There is some question to the succession of owners, but I will cede to the current owner’s research as documented in the Car Guide of the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It is most certainly one of the most unique Packards ever built. It’s also fun to note the hood ornament doubles as the radio antenna!
