1939 Packard Super Eight Hearse Showcases Automotive Innovation at DFW Car & Toy Museum

The DFW Car & Toy Museum has unveiled a distinctive 1939 Packard Super Eight Hearse, a vehicle that represents a unique fusion of engineering and craftsmanship from America's pre-war automotive golden age. Commissioned by a high-end Virginia funeral home, this bespoke creation combines components from Packard's Super Eight and Twelve series, riding on a V12 frame while being powered by an eight-cylinder engine.

Built in March 1938, the hearse features several rare pre-production elements that distinguish it from other period Packards. The dashboard alone contains 15 unique differences, with instruments fitted from behind—a detail virtually unseen in other vehicles of its time. The interior showcases exceptional woodworking with Madagascar ebony and Honduran mahogany, elevating the vehicle well beyond standard coach builds of the era.

Practical engineering considerations included a hydraulic leveling system in the rear that ensured a smooth, consistent ride when transporting caskets, demonstrating Packard's commitment to refinement even in specialty applications. With a price tag exceeding $10,000 in 1939—more than double the cost of a fully-loaded production model—this hearse served as a statement of status and opulence for its original funeral home client.

The vehicle's historical journey adds to its significance, having served its original purpose until the 1960s before being repurposed by a touring rock band. This transition from dignified funeral transport to countercultural icon creates a unique narrative that spans different eras of American cultural history. Ron Sturgeon, founder of the DFW Car & Toy Museum, emphasizes that "this isn't just a funeral coach—it's a symbol of Packard's innovation and elegance at the height of America's automotive golden age."

This one-of-a-kind Henney Packard Hearse now resides in The Ron Sturgeon Collection and can be viewed alongside over 200 rare and exotic vehicles at the DFW Car & Toy Museum in Fort Worth. The museum's new facility at 2550 McMillan Parkway offers 150,000 square feet of exhibition space with free parking and admission. Visitors can explore the collection Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, with additional information available at https://dfwcarandtoymuseum.com.

The display of this unique vehicle matters because it preserves and showcases a specific moment in automotive history when luxury manufacturers like Packard applied their highest engineering standards to specialized vehicles. For automotive historians and enthusiasts, it represents a tangible example of how pre-war American manufacturers approached custom commissions with the same attention to detail as their production models. The hearse's dual history—serving both solemn funeral processions and lively rock tours—illustrates how significant vehicles can transition between cultural contexts while maintaining their mechanical integrity and historical value.

For the museum industry, acquisitions like this demonstrate how specialized collections can tell broader stories about technological innovation, social history, and cultural transformation. The vehicle's presence in a public museum makes accessible a piece of automotive history that might otherwise remain in private collections, allowing visitors to appreciate the craftsmanship and engineering of a bygone era. As automotive preservation becomes increasingly important in documenting technological evolution, vehicles like this 1939 Packard Hearse serve as physical records of manufacturing techniques, design philosophies, and cultural practices that have shaped transportation history.