Solved - NEH 4218: Motto bodied Packard - 1954

[Carnut]

What's this and who built it, for 1 point?:

Remember - solving puzzles using 'Google Search by Image' is BANNED on AutoPuzzles!

[Carnut]

Experts?

[richard cuyler]

Italian and based on a Packard?

[Carnut]

Italian and based on a Packard?

Yes and Yes!
Locked for you to complete..

[Carnut]

Italian and based on a Packard?

Yes and Yes!
Locked for you to complete..

Any luck Richard?

[richard cuyler]

Still trying, Carnut. The info I have so far been able to obtain suggests that Italy was the one European country where no Packard special coachwork was ever done.  This is a very restrained design and those Alvis-like rear wings suggest Graber (Switzerland, of course), but they only did earlier Packards. Is this a 1951 car?

[Carnut]

Still trying, Carnut. The info I have so far been able to obtain suggests that Italy was the one European country where no Packard special coachwork was ever done.  This is a very restrained design and those Alvis-like rear wings suggest Graber (Switzerland, of course), but they only did earlier Packards. Is this a 1951 car?

Not Graber of course; wrong country!
Later than 1951.

[72Must]

Is this locked or open ?

[Carnut]

Is this locked or open ?

It's still locked, but if Richard doesn't get it with his next reply I'll open it up again.

[richard cuyler]

If it's not a Rocco Motto car from about 1952/3, please open this up again. Thanks, Carnut.

[Carnut]

If it's not a Rocco Motto car from about 1952/3, please open this up again. Thanks, Carnut.

Yes indeed, it was built by Motto, but in 1954.
Well done.

[sixtee5cuda]

Is the puzzle car, Jean Trevoux's car which was built for La Carrera Panamericana?

[Carnut]

Is the puzzle car, Jean Trevoux's car which was built for La Carrera Panamericana?

I don't think so; the Panamericana cars were slightly earlier, and their success led to this road car, I believe.

[sixtee5cuda]

I haven't seen anything in print, indicating that more than one Motto Packard was built (Panamericana or otherwise). 

Trevoux raced a standard Packard in 1952.  He raced The Motto Packard in 1953 and 1954.

[Carnut]

I haven't seen anything in print, indicating that more than one Motto Packard was built (Panamericana or otherwise). 

Trevoux raced a standard Packard in 1952.  He raced The Motto Packard in 1953 and 1954.

I was confused, but I saw pictures of a car that clearly wasn't this one, participating in the Carrera Panamericana.  But maybe it wasn't by Rocco as I thought.  Some respected sites describe the Motto car as from 1954, but if it was raced in 1953 then that would appear to be wrong..

Here's a picture of the Trevoux car; is it the same car as the puzzle car?  Perhaps it went back to Motto in 1954 to be rebuilt?

[Hiawatha]

I think it's the same car. Windscreen and wipers look the same and the general body shape and trim look very similar. What I don't know is if it was a touring car first and then modified for racing or viceversa.

[Carnut]

Here's the picture before I modified it, with all the trim etc that's missing on the competition car.  So it's before or after - that's the $64000 question!

[sixtee5cuda]

They seem to be the same car.  But it is sad to think the car was that beautiful when it left Italy, only to be stripped down for racing use.