The JBS Collection’s 1934 Packard Twelve 1108 Custom Convertible Dietrich Sedan, the first automobile to be featured in the upcoming interview series The Journey, receives two awards at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
The JBS Collection and owner Jack Boyd Smith Jr. had a day to remember on Sunday, Aug. 18, in Monterey, California. At the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the collection’s freshly-restored 1934 Packard Twelve 1108 Custom Convertible Sedan by Dietrich was awarded both the Gwenn Graham Most Elegant Convertible Award Sponsored by Lalique North America, and the Briggs Cunningham Trophy Sponsored by Ford Motor Company.
The 12-cylinder 1934 Packard 1108 Custom Convertible Dietrich Sedan—its restoration recently completed to original specifications by LaVine Restorations, Inc., of Nappanee, Indiana—was originally owned by infamous California heiress-turned-explorer, Louise Arner Boyd. Boyd was a U.S. delegate to the 1934 International Geographical Congress in Warsaw, Poland, and had this very Packard custom built for her three-month journey across Poland.
Referred to as “The Girl Who Tamed the Arctic” by newspapers during the 1920s, Boyd originally gained notoriety for arctic explorations and research expeditions that sometimes included hunting polar bear. In 1934, as a U.S. delegate, Boyd toured the Polish countryside in this Packard, photographing and recording the customs and cultures of the ethnic groups in the area. Her journal from the trip, supplemented with over 500 of her photographs, was published by the American Geographical Society in 1937 as Polish Countrysides, and includes myriad black and white photographs of this very automobile.
“This particular Packard has such a fascinating history,” said Smith Jr. “When I sat down with Vivian, Eric, and Travis LaVine to envision this restoration, we were so excited about the prospect of bringing this Packard back. The goal was to restore it to its original glory in every detail, just as it was when Ms. Boyd owned it. This project was painstaking—we even custom-built the original, one-of-a-kind polar bear hood ornament. We are honored to have our work acknowledged and awarded at Pebble Beach, and we look forward to sharing the story of this Packard’s restoration in the debut of our video series, The Journey.”
The Journey is a video interview series in which Smith Jr. and restoration partner Travis LaVine discuss their shared passion for restoring and preserving classic, rare, and antique automobiles. The series offers unique insight into the relationship between a classic car owner and a restoration team, and highlights the importance of preserving automotive works of art for future generations to appreciate.
The restored Packard is among a dozen or so of its class believed to remain, and—in its earlier years—was used by The Franklin Mint as a model for the creation of a widely-recognized Packard reproduction. Photos of the Packard were also included in the book, Packard: The Pride by Julie M. Fenster, a retrospective of the company history and its legendary automotive design.
At the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, in unprecedented fashion, an unrestored 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports received the Best in Show Award and made some history of its own.
The Bugatti became the first preservation-class car to capture the award, not to mention the first of that make to win Best of Show at Pebble Beach since 2003. Two awards presented this year were made possible by Smith Jr. and The JBS Collection. The Lucius Beebe Trophy—the first perpetual trophy to be established at the Concours, first awarded in 1966—was presented in the name of Laura and Jack Boyd Smith Jr. to a 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental by H.J. Mulliner. The J.B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car award was presented in the name of The JBS Collection to a 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Sport Sedan.
“I love Pebble Beach, and always have, and it was an honor for my wife Laura and I, and The JBS Collection, to help underwrite two awards this year,” said Smith Jr. “Every car on display at Pebble Beach is a masterpiece. It was a privilege and honor to show our Packard, and let the world see the end result of our restoration. I’m also very excited about our upcoming series, The Journey, because it goes well beyond just showing the end result. The series goes behind the scenes and shines light on what it takes for an owner and restoration team to complete a project like this one. The first episode details this Packard’s restoration, and its history, and I’m so happy to be able to share what we do with the world.”