‘If this Packard could talk, it would demand a solicitor and a stiff gin.’
A Countess, a criminal, and a crumbling barn find – sounds like the start of a bad joke,
Yet out of this improbable mix comes one of the most fascinating barn finds you’ll ever lay eyes on: a 1929 Packard 640 Sport Phaeton.
Born into the aristocracy, kidnapped by a conman, and now available to buy. You couldn’t make it up.
In 1929, the Count and Countess of Cacém, glittering stars of Portuguese high society, personally ordered the elegant Packard 640 Sport Phaeton.
Their grand estate in Cacém hosted the era’s most decadent soirées, where the car would ferry pearls, tuxedos, and scandalous whispers alike.
In the early 30s, Alves dos Reis, mastermind of the Portuguese Bank Note Crisis, snapped up the Packard after illegally printing a fortune in escudos.
He was even photographed cruising around, posing like a banking baron – before reality (and the police) caught up.
Come 1925, Reis’s empire collapsed spectacularly, leaving financial devastation and headlines across Europe.
The Packard, once gleaming with aristocratic pride, became infamous by association.
A Piece of History Awaits
Fast-forward 100 years, and after decades of hiding, this beautifully restored Packard awaits a new custodian at Volo Auto Museum for £226,998.
A car that once ferried the cream of Lisbon society — and Portugal’s greatest swindler — can now be yours.
‘Only in Portugal could a car designed for aristocratic soirées end up in the hands of a man with a printing press and a dream.’
