Packard 6th Series Thompson Special "Classcock Speedster"

The Lieutenant’s Cigar
 
In an appreciation by the press at the time, the car was described with the words “… the sensational custom speedster …”. This was the description of a sporty, racy one-of-a-kind car from 1929 that was built for only one purpose – to drive fast on public roads!.

The man behind it, who fulfilled his dream was a certain John Raglan Glasscock. At the time he bought this racing car, he was 44 years old and came from a very wealthy family. He realized his dream of a sports car as a one-off production base on a Packard 626.

For the soldier, the purchase of the 626 was not the end of his dream, because he wanted to have an independent car body. The Los Angeles-based Thompson Auto Body Company awarded the lieutenant his desired body, modeled it and it and presumably also connected it to the Packard chassis.

Visually, the body impressed above all with its simplicity, striking are the externally visible two elongated frame struts, on which the cigar-shaped sheet metal cladding was placed. The fenders, which are matched directly to the tires, and the completely unconventionally designed headlights testify to attention to detail.

The one-of-a-kind Speedster has survived to the present day and is now on display at the “Driving Museum” in El Segundo, California.