RARE 1 of 3 Packard Found! - Hot Rodded in the 1950’s

In 1940 Packard had 3 Convertible Coupes built by the coach builder Rollson. This particular one was first owned by Carl Bellinger who did the unthinkable, he hot rodded and raced this amazing Packard. Mr. Bellinger had his personal mechanic Richard Tona help maintain and even paint the coupe through out the years. Richard was able to use the car as he wanted while Carl traveled for work as a test pilot. Many years later Carl gifted the car to Richard after he moved to the East coast. Richard eventually gifted the car to his son Tommy who is now sharing the story of this amazing car. If anyone has any history of this 1940 Packard at Muroc Dry Lakes please send us an email!
Thank you to the Tona family for allowing us to film and document the history on this car -
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[@celebratingaviationwithmik9782]

The original pencil drawing of this car shown in the video at 17:45 was created in 1948 by my Uncle, Automotive Designer and Aeronautical Engineer, Mr. George Hildebrand. George worked for the Rollston and LeBaron Custom Car Companies in the 1930s, and was instrumental in the custom lines of Carl Bellinger's Packard. He became an engineer for the Republic Aviation Corporation in 1940, and was a dear friend of Bellinger's. How wonderful that this car still exists, and that its rich historical legacy is being preserved by the Tona family!

[@IronTrapGarage]

Please send us an email! We would love to talk about your dad and his involvement in the car! [e-mail]

[@davidjohnson8474]

Im gonna tell my old auto shop teacher in Maryland about this and make sure he watches this as he has a pretty BIG collection of Pacards! This was a great story

[@jimcole389]

Great video, keep it up

[@Rene_ROwdyy]

What a incredible car and story,and what a great storyteller 🤘🏽Hope we see It restored to its former glory some day

[@faspit95]

Different type of video for ITG but amazing. The story behind each car is just as enjoyable as the car itself. Best part is the story never ends with hotrods.

[@davidlyon1899]

I can hear JAY LENO salivating from over here in England.

[@Mercmad]

Carl Bellinger was the First pilot to use an ejection seat in an Emergency .😎

[@thomasst.martin3308]

About 20 years ago I saw the 'other' Rollson Packard at a show in Chicago.

[@Carchaeology]

Fantastic car and story. Please get on this project and make it whole again. It deserves to be back on the road and its glory shared with the world!

[@toddmcinroy2292]

I’m sure Jay Leno would love to get his hands on that rare gem. Great episode!!

[@c.mo.1190]

That guy is so cool, great story teller, great historian!

[@Paleoman52]

I enjoyed this so much. What a wonderful history connected to this unique car. I hope it gets restored back to its original splendor. Thanks for sharing this story.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

I agree!!!

[@380.motorsports]

Love these history videos about unique cars and the families behind them.

[@johndonlon1611]

That's an absolutely terrific story!! Now, enough jaw-jacking and get to work. That amazing car belongs on the road and at shows. The only other Packard story that compares to this is the discovery a couple of years ago of the Richard Arbib-designed 1949 Packard Monte Carlo convertible now awaiting restoration in Florida.

[@SAVERREPUBLIC1776]

Wow. What a history.old cars with history are the best.

[@forrestseale7008]

In 1963 my Dad bought a 1949 Packard that my brother and I drove whenever our cars (both of us had TR-3's) broke down. I don't know if it was the same type of engine that was in this car but it had a straight eight. The car was amazing. It took a mile or more to get there but it would easily hit 105 MPH on a freeway. Of course it was a big, heavy car with mechanical brakes so it took another half mile or so to get it stopped from that speed. I loved that old car and wish I still had it.

[@timothycrowhurst1249]

I like the back story on these rare finds. The fact that Tom has such a passion for the car is good to see. Cars are such a part of people's live and that is seen in this interview. Thank you Matt for taking the time to capture this story.

[@moxie99027]

I have been a longtime fan of Iron Trap Garage, and I must say that this is one of the most enjoyable episodes that I have watched. The present owner gave an excellent presentation. Thank you.

[@skipstein744]

Thanks for keeping the story alive. Onward!

[@bobgaylord8883]

Great vid. Love the "lost & found" stories.

[@timelesscardboard]

What a great story! And the way you shot the video was beautiful. The owner of the car was a great story teller, good luck on whatever you decided to do with that car.

[@brucehorner936]

Yes it should be restored and running again.

[@geofo60]

What an amazing find & wonderful story that adds to the provenance of a truly rare car. I hope the “right” people get to watch the video and are able to fill in the gaps in the story. This is one car that deserves to be restored to its formal glory. Thanks to the gentleman for sharing his memories and thanks to ITG for sharing them with us. Good luck moving forward with this awesome Packard from the U.K.

[@cephurs]

so cool, get her back on the road asap sir!

[@Jack-gy7cs]

What a wonderful, amazing, fantastic, great story. Way too many untold stories like this are just lost to history. Super documentary.

[@west4057]

glad he took such good care of it.....eyes roll.....

[@MF-rn5os]

I like when you do these stories about people and their cars, plus the family history with them. A lot of people don’t think about the history of the car like you do. I never did till I started watching your channel.

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thank you! That’s our goal! All old cars have a story! It’s important to keep it alive!

[@gordonstroup882]

Now "THAT" is one beautiful automobile! And the story behind it is absolutely amazing. What an incredible thing for the first owner to do, to just give it to Tom's father, free and clear, just for working on it over the years. If Tom ever decides to put more of an effort towards restoring the car like it came off of the showroom floor, he would easily have himself a million dollar car. Possibly a one of a kind Packard, like the world has never seen before! My gosh, just thinking about working on such a beautiful car like that, WOW! How cool would that be? Gives me goosebumps just imagining it. Our neighbors, way back in the 70's had a neat Packard with a straight 8 in it. Big, big 2 door sedan. My gosh, the back seat area was immense. Like it had a couch back there, and it could of been a hide a bed couch for all I knew, Ha haa. It was a dark brown, seemed to be extra wide, like it would have taken up the width of an entire lane on the road. The chrome on the front bumper and grill could have blinded on coming traffic, for sure. I just turned old enough for a regular driver's license and he offered to sell it to me for $350 because it wouldn't start and he didn't know why. I said that I would think about it. Well it turned out to be just the starter. I had put a new one in it for him, when he came home on a Saturday with one. Darn thing fired right up and you would have to listen real hard to even hear it running. Monday came around and I noticed that the car wasn't there any longer. I asked him about it, if it broke down on him, but he said "NO", "I sold it for $550 after you fixed it". I was devastated because that was the day I had planned on telling him that I wanted to buy it! I had just saved up enough to get it, by selling stuff I had and after scrounging up a ton of soda bottles to take to the grocery store for refunds.... Oh Well, life went on...... Yup, life went on....... On Foot! Darn it all. Thanks Matt for the mini documentary about Tom and his incredible Packard story. Quite possibly his million dollar story. Great show Matt! Thanks again.

[@edwardwerick2420]

I have a copy of Chuck Yeagers biography. Carl Bellanger is talked about and quoted in the book. Apparently he and Yeager were good friends. Chuck talked of him with high praise which he seldom gave. He had little use for pilots who were less than 100% focused on their chosen profession which was by all accounts one of the most hazardous ever. Yeager would sometimes take one look at a prototype aircraft and pronounce it a "dry lakes post hole digger" Many times he was right. I hope Mr Tona finds a way to restore the Packard. It is a part of Carl Bellangers legacy worth preserving. If money is an issue, perhaps he could establish a "Go Fund Me" I would support such a project.

[@conradtona1882]

My Uncle Richard told me he used to take Carl and Chuck quail hunting at the family ranch in Fairmont California just West of Lancaster Our family had two ranches growing up, the Big Ranch in Leona Vally CA that my cousin spoke of in the video and the Little Ranch in Fairmont Ca. Thank you for your comments Edward

[@ArgentPure]

This car will never get restored by this guy. It will take north of $100K and I don't see it happening. Give Jay Leno a call and maybe.

[@_Peremalfait]

Great video. I think a large part of why people love old cars is the human connection. I like how you stepped back and let Tommy tell the story of the car. It was really respectful and speaks well of Iron Trap Garage that you allowed him to take center stage.

[@steveeppy5596]

Love these stories - would love to see more like this!

[@johnbuckley2182]

Great story. I like to hear the history of old cars.

[@randomyank7777]

Such a rare & beautiful car . It would be nice to see it restored to it's original beauty & driven again . What a wonderful piece of American history & a true show of ingenuity for it's time . Wow . Just wow . Thanks Matt , & thank you , Tona Family , for keeping such a rare & beautiful car in restorable condition !

[@roadlizardcu8664]

Wow! What a survivor. Good family story, hopefully the car can continue the family legacy and you guys have some really neat plans ahead.

[@squidgameisaliarisawnosqui5341]

I have my grandfather's 74 j10 Jeep past down to me in 98 restoring it for the past 4-5 years... been in the family since 1977 still have the bill of sale from my grandfather. it's in a picture frame I was born in 79 so I grew up with that truck.. keep putting videos like this on cool to hear the stories of other people and there cars ty Steve

[@clintonprice982]

Beautfully put together a great video you guys are going from strength to strength looking forward too more simalar videos.

[@kennethstaszak9990]

One of your best episodes ever.

[@adamhoffman3687]

I would hope you do several follow up videos on this if possible such a beautiful car and interesting history. excellent video.👍👍

[@bdodson87]

Mike, great job on putting this together. What an awesome presentation. The storytelling and background music reminds me of a petrolicious video. Well done

[@handyhippie6548]

if i owned this car, and a body shop, i'd have my best guy working on it exclusively until it was finished, considering it's prolly worth more than the building it's stored in. wowzers! thanx for making this mini documentary about it matt. try to keep in touch with the owner, and do a follow up if it's ever finished. but seeing as he's owned it since he was young, and has grey hair now, i wonder if he will be the one to do it if he doesn't get on it ASAP. it'd truly be a shame to have owned it most of his life, and never got to drive it even once.

[@sallybrokaw6124]

Matt, what a beautiful story! No kidding I had tears in my eyes. I love this old iron. Cars,trucks, tractors the list goes on. The early hot rodders and customizers I think were the best because the tools were basic but they still transformed a car that they saw in their imagination into something on 4 wheels. Thanks again Matt for bringing us a wonderful story about an awesome machine.Al B in Ohio.

[@kyleforeman4543]

Simply timeless story,hope we get too see it as its goes thru its progress,an more story's emerge from this video

[@kevinbarrett9615]

Wow, great story and a really amazing find. Hope it gets restored to its former glory.

[@Jddvs]

it is difficult to believe that anyone would let such a fine and rare automobile like this Packard deteriorate to this extent. I hope that someone will be willing to put the time and money into bringing this Packard back to it’s original state.

[@randomyank7777]

Time & $ are two luxuries most people don't have . The fact that they kept the car complete to today is a miracle . It's very restorable .

[@mikeherrschaft7167]

Thanks for a great story to start my Sunday morning!

[@jaywatts333]

great story. thx

[@brianhayes7618]

Great story on this rare classic

[@robertszymanski7804]

Matt and Mike you are definitely artists in more ways than just building vintage Iron!! Love all the content you put together, you have captured the passion and love of the hobby perfectly. Keep up the phenomenal work!!

[@1954shadow]

What a story, what a car!

[@herrunsinn774]

Nice memories. Thanks for sharing... Don't let Jay Leno get wind of this car. He would drop a "half-a-mil" into it without batting an eye. Hee hee... 😇

[@michaelguinn5736]

Hey Matt, started watching this video this morning, just now finished, pretty cool story, hopefully the car will be completed.... Be safe, God Bless!!!

[@monkeybarmonkeyman]

If asked for an opinion, I would opine to first get it mechanically sound, functional and safe. Running, shifting, driving, stopping, all that goodness. At that point the debate would be worth having as to any further restoration. Thanks for the video, one rare bird.

[@jamesinkeys]

Hope to see this car at the annual Pebble Beach Concourse d' Elegance some day... Will probably place first in class (classic hot rods) i'm sure.....

[@kevinkenyon7045]

Matt great story! What an amazing piece of history! Thanks for sharing! Kevin

[@paultidsy4019]

Love stories like this where you can dig into the history of such a unique car. I hope we get to see this restored one day.

[@damiansgaragebuilds7663]

Fantastic car and story! Hope to see it on the road!

[@a.r.o7697]

Packards are cool cars.

[@neil3449]

Well done video guys. It’s great to document this stuff so it’s not lost to the world.

[@protc]

What a great story! I bet this guy has been very busy answering calls, txt and emails after the story hit You tube.

[@tommytompley4950]

Wow 😲, simply amazing ‼️

[@RXRSawdustStation]

That is a wonderful story! Thank you for bringing it to use! Thank you!

[@johnbehneman1546]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

[@rickbonifas5985]

What a great story!

[@alangreene927]

Such a great story hopefully you can keep us posted on it throughout the restoration and beyond.

[@wolfgangricky]

What a GREAT story. Ty guys for sharing !!!

[@RedBullMan7]

Super cool story. I love the back stories you share of your cars and cars you have found. Thanks for sharing Matt & Mike!

[@kiwijeff3964]

What a gem. Long time Packard fan, love seeing them customized, but don't tell anyone. I hear Packard owners are none to happy about that. Funny, I once thought I owned a 1929 Packard body. Turned out to be a 1929 Cadillac!

[@markbrown6236]

Neat story.

[@DAVIDBrown-zp8sz]

Dang ! Thought we were going to hear it run. Cold start !!!

[@timothydockery534]

What a magnificent car. I would love to see that thing restored I bet it looked amazing

[@drewpierce2273]

Wonderful story, wonderful story teller.

[@Ogsonofgroo]

Beautiful beasty, great story, good peoples, well done! This car deserves every bit of love it gets and I hope I live long enough to see it fully alive again, thanks for the vid OP :)

[@hotrodZack1948]

I hope I get to see that restored in my lifetime

[@MrMatslars]

I would love to see that car being restored with the mods it has.

[@edwardgrebensteinjr6560]

I'm not sure if my father, Edward Grebenstein Sr., ever knew Mr. Tona or Mr. Bellinger, but he may have since he worked at Fairchild from 1954 to his retirement in 1994. Anyway, that's a beautiful car and I hope it gets put back on the road!

[@conradtona1882]

Is your dad still around? See what he recalls ?? Carl and Richard worked out at Muroc AFB then became Edwards AFB

[@melvindenny8962]

Cool. Thanks. From Coquitlam,B.C. ,Canada

[@donschilke3597]

Love the story, great beautiful car thanks Matt

[@stewartfalk1977]

A wonderful story of a rare beauty, it’s fantastic you have been able to document some of its history. It would be nice to see it rebuilt to the 1950s hotrod and have it shown next to the original restored roadster.

[@CR7659]

Rare to improve on those factory custom designs but the custom touches on this knock it out of the park.

[@erichgreen82grandparitchie23]

UNBELIEVABLE===I LOVED THEE EARLY PACKARDS=PLEASE RESTORE IT.??

[@buchmannray]

I love these stories

[@JonBlondell]

Great car, great story!

[@JDawghasaTruck]

What a great story! Definitely should be restored but take your time and do it right by the best in the business!

[@briscoelcamino7850]

Cool car. Surprised he didn't say He'll fix it up one of these days. Hopefully he'll give a restoration it deserves.

[@don66hotrod94]

Great find, great interview.

[@shaggy2scooby4you]

wow that's awesome 👌

[@AndyGeesGarage]

Great story. I hope there is follow up with this car getting put back to it’s former glory.

[@mattskustomkreations]

Nice piece!

[@kevinfritz1950]

I would love to know who did the custom bodywork. What a great car and story.

[@nederpiet]

coach builder Rollson

[@streetwork5069]

317 south broad st in Philadelphia was a Packard building and show room..called the Packard building.

[@johnversluis3084]

I have never herd of this make of a great car

[@gordonhenagar6652]

what a cool story about a very cool car

[@reijerlincoln]

That is too cool.

[@7daytheory110]

An episode from my town, I know Tona.

[@jerrytraub8645]

Great story!

[@Slingshotgixxer]

Nicely done Matt

[@BoxcarsGarage]

I believe that wheel you got from GA. was an old Packard.....like the one in the vid....and cut down with a smaller dia. Hoop.

[@IronTrapGarage]

Yep we knew. Thus why we bought it !

[@BoxcarsGarage]

@@IronTrapGarage ....backing up now... uh, ok. I was at their spot when they were unloading...at that time they had it priced at $125....I thought it was a little crude and passed on it. Happy you got it for $50.

[@nickpelletier3056]

I'd be getting that restored back to original since its so rare, then put all the custom and speed parts on a Packard coupe. That would be sweet

[@thinkingofyouto1]

Great video

[@richs7362]

A great story. But we know a passion for something like this v.s the time, ability and remorse's to do anything significant other than just keeping it under cover is rare. Usually involves selling it to someone who can actually do something to get it on the road as opposed to just selling it to someone who will just let it sit, flip it or part it out.