Cars

Packard is Making Headlines for this One-Off Piece Designed by JB Classic & Bespoke

Based on a Bentley Flying Spur, this interpretation by a Dutch coachbuilder showcases just how brilliant the former American luxury marque could have been.

By Aninda Sardar

Sep 19, 2025

For this one-off, named the Packard Excellence, JB Classic & Bespoke used a Bentley Flying Spur as the underpinning and then created their vision of American luxury on it. Image courtesy: Jerome Wassenaar

Back in 1958, one of the world’s most well-known luxury American car manufacturers, Packard, went out of production. Within decades, the name Packard vanished from the automotive world, surviving only as historic vehicles that appeared sporadically at events around the world. So, why is Packard in the news again?

The credit goes to Dutch coachbuilder and restoration artist, JB Classic & Bespoke. The boutique firm didn’t just stop at imagining what a modern Packard might have been like, but went the whole hog and built one!

The Packard Excellence brings classic American luxury to life with a bespoke body, iconic grille, and handcrafted details.Image courtesy: Jerome Wassenaar

For this one-off, named the Packard Excellence, JB Classic & Bespoke used a Bentley Flying Spur as the underpinning and then created their vision of American luxury on it. Master craftsmen and engineers got together and shaped this luxury statement on wheels over a staggering 17,000 manhours. During that time, they fashioned a completely new bespoke body, with suicide rear doors, the iconic three-piece Packard grille of yore, and the legendary Goddess of Speed mascot atop the grille. The stainless-steel trim and headlights are custom-made as well. 

Combining 17,000 manhours of craftsmanship with modern engineering, the Packard Excellence marks the revival of an iconic automotive legend.Image courtesy: Jerome Wassenaar

The design and engineering of the car is done by Cinovara Design, also a Dutch automotive design and engineering firm. Once the design was complete, the folks at JB Classic & Bespoke got together and built everything from scratch using the finest of materials, by hand, making the Packard Excellence a hand-built masterpiece. 

Suicide rear doors, the legendary Goddess of Speed, and custom stainless-steel trim make the Packard Excellence a hand-built masterpiece.Image courtesy: Jerome Wassenaar

But here’s the real reason why this specific car is firing the imagination of automotive enthusiasts and purveyors of luxury cars, a la Americana, worldwide.

If the Packard Excellence works as a bespoke commissioned luxury vehicle, as the original Packard itself once was, it will mark the resurgence of one of the world’s most iconic automotive brands alongside Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Cadillac. Attempts have been made in the past, too, once in the early 1990s and then again in 1999. But to no avail. Perhaps, Packard will be third time lucky?

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