Back in 1955 Marvin Zukor took second place at the then unknown Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, which was first held in 1953. This year Marvin Zukor, a retired police officer and a founding member of the Northern California Region of the Classic Car Club of America, will return to the Concours at Pebble Beach which has gone from strength to strength and is now seen as one of the most prestigious car events in the world.
The '34 Packard was initially bought by TV actor Cesar Romero, best known as the Joker from the early Batman series, and eventually changed ownership to sportscaster Bill Stern, both have a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. After World War II the car ended up with Stanford University where the car was (ab)used as a 'rally car' during football games.
In 1953 Zukor bought the car from a young man who had rescued the car from more punishment at Stanford but was called up for duty in the Korean War. "I originally gave it a 1950s-type restoration, including a $100 paint job, new engine and upholstery," says Zukor. "I then showed it at the 1955 Pebble Beach Concours and got a prize for second place (in class) - a little thing to put on my dashboard."
For this years Concours Marvin Zukor has called in the help of classic car restorers Craig and Sue Lynch to bring back the car to pristine condition since he has been using the car regularly over the past fifty-odd years.
Will the '34 Packard V12 Convertible Victoria win this year? Only time will tell but it may just stand a good chance since a similar 160 hp '34 Packard V12 Convertible took Best in Class in 2003.
