1926 Packard 236 Eight Sport
Dramatic customization by California’s legendary Walter M. Murphy Company transformed this factory Sport Phaeton into a unique tribute to silent film star Rudolph Valentino’s Avions Voisin.
The striking modifications reportedly occurred during the 1920s after the original owner, a bootlegger, crashed the car and brought it to Murphy’s Pasadena workshop, where Valentino’s damaged Voisin was also undergoing repairs.
Murphy’s artisans installed a genuine French Voisin radiator, special headlamps, and chromed Rudge wire wheels while modifying the front fenders to accommodate the new styling.
The hood received polished aluminum treatment with chevron-pattern louvers reminiscent of Rolls-Royce design, complemented by a second cowl, an aluminum dashboard, and a menacing coiled cobra mascot similar to those on Valentino’s personal automobiles.
The Sport body style featured a four-passenger phaeton configuration that sat lower and narrower than standard Packard open models, with a reduced windshield height and distinctive rear-opening doors. Packard’s 357.8 cubic inch L-head inline eight-cylinder engine produced 85 horsepower at 3,000 RPM through a single updraft carburetor, driving a three-speed manual transmission.
This remarkable survivor represents the only known example of Murphy’s Valentino-inspired customization work on a Packard.
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