Kenny's 1930 Packard 733 sedan

Kenny was an older family friend.  At some point in the 1950's he found and purchased this Packard that at the time was original and running.  When I would see him driving it I remember being mesmerized by its stateliness.

One day in the early 60's the Packard pulled into our driveway.  Kenny had stopped by the house to say hello.  As he was leaving he asked me if I wanted to ride along to a neighbor's house down the road.  I jumped at the chance as I had never ridden in the car. In fact I had never ridden in a car like that in my life.

It was a short trip and it ended all too soon, but I remember it like it was yesterday.  The distinct sound of the engine and the whine of the transmission are easy to recall.  The original interior was intact and in good shape.  It was showing a bit of wear, but years later I would learn that would be described as patina.  The paint was original as well but it and the big blackwall tires just added to the overall aged beauty of this early American road car.

After visiting with the neighbor it came time to go.  As we walked towards the car Kenny asked me if I wanted to drive the car on the return trip home.  I was shocked by the question.  I didn't even have a driver's license yet.  I had operated tractors and will admit I had driven an old Jeep station wagon short distances on the rural road we lived on.  My initial response to Kenny was no, I didn't think I should do that.  He smiled and said it will be OK and he thought I should.

I crawled up behind the very large steering wheel of that old beast and was immediately amazed at the length of the hood that stretched out before me.  I listened as he explained the pattern of the floor mounted gear shift.  The starter was just like the Jeep in that it was engaged by using my foot to press on a floor mounted pedal.  After his quick preflight briefing we were ready to proceed.

As we rolled out I realized what a large heavy vehicle it was.  Later driving experiences in trucks would remind me of how that Packard drove.  I don't remember getting beyond second gear as it was a slow drive.  I wasn't in a hurry for the experience to end and I was being very careful.  All too soon I was pulling into our driveway and what was maybe an early out of body experience was over.  I thanked Kenny and we said our goodbyes.  I watched as he left and drove up the road.

Fast forward 50 years and I was pleasantly surprised to find Kenny's daughter playing the organ at my dad's memorial service.  I had seen her a year or so earlier and asked about the old Packard.  Her brother had assumed ownership of the car after Kenny's passing.  It had undergone a restoration and was sold.  She knew I would be interested in seeing a picture she had of the car and brought it to the service.  I quickly took the picture you see here.  

The day that Kenny had me drive the Packard is forever tucked away in my memory bank.  It will seem odd to some people but it ranks pretty high on the scale of the great memories that I acquired early in my life.  A person never knows when the dispensing of a kind act will turn into a lifetime memory for the recipient.