{"id":8,"date":"2011-08-11T07:52:48","date_gmt":"2011-08-11T07:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2012-05-01T22:38:41","modified_gmt":"2012-05-01T22:38:41","slug":"our-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/?page_id=8","title":{"rendered":"Packard Motor Cars"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Custom<\/a>For decades, the Packard Motor Car Co. marketed some of America\u2019s most prestigious cars under the slogan \u201cAsk the man who owns one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, though, if you want to find out about Packards, all you need to do is ask Robert Escalante. Escalante owns Custom Auto Service, a Santa Ana shop that is known throughout the country for Packard restoration and maintenance.<\/p>\n

Escalante acquired his Packard enthusiasm naturally, having been captivated by stylish cars in the early 1970s while in high school. Oddly, his interest can be traced to a coed\u2019s Volvo. \u201cI always thought that was the coolest car,\u201d he says recalling the early Swedish sedan that resembled a 1948 Ford. Escalante planned to buy a Volvo, \u201cbut then this Packard became available on Main Street in Santa Ana and I fell in love with it. It was almost like an oversized-looking Volvo.\u201d He bought the car \u2014 a 1941 110 four-door sedan \u2014 and in the process found his calling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe car had a broken taillight,\u201d he recalls, \u201cand I needed another.\u201d That\u2019s when he discovered Custom Auto Service and its owner Bill Lauer, who founded the business in 1966. \u201cI had a radio for the car and I traded it to Bill for the taillight. The radio was worth more than the taillight, but I didn\u2019t know that at the time.\u201d No matter, Escalante soon began working for Lauer. \u201cI started out doing chores around the shop,\u201d he recalls, but later moved into body and fender work. Escalante\u2019s father, Al, worked in the body shop of Reason Buick in Santa Ana at the time and was able to give him some pointers. Today, he is part of his son\u2019s shop team and still offers his expertise.<\/p>\n

By 1983, Lauer \u2014 who also founded the Packards International Motor Car Club headquartered in the shop\u2019s building \u2014 wanted out. Seismic retrofitting issues loomed and the city\u2019s threatened use of eminent domain put the shop\u2019s future in doubt. \u201cThe city wanted to put in a shopping center,\u201d Escalante recalls. \u201cAnd Bill didn\u2019t want to go down the eminent domain tunnel.\u201d So Escalante stepped up and bought the business. \u201cIgnorance is bliss,\u201d he notes when looking back at his eminent domain battles with the city, but he eventually prevailed.<\/p>\n

In addition to his father, Escalante\u2019s brothers David and Sandy and his cousin Toby work in the shop. Additional expertise comes from Cal Soest, a Packard master mechanic who has been with the business since it opened. \u201cCal is one of the few guys around who can rebuild a 12-cylinder Packard engine,\u201d Escalante says.<\/p>\n

A stroll through the shop shows about a dozen cars in various states of repair. \u201cIf we detail an engine compartment it is exactly the way Packard did it,\u201d Escalante says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Packards International<\/h2>\n

\"packards_international_logo\"<\/a>The purpose of Packards International Motor Car Club is the preservation and promotion of all Packard automobiles and all material pertaining to them; to provide a source of, and point of, exchange for information and material related to same; and to provide and promote events, tours, and exhibitions featuring Packard Motor Cars.<\/p>\n

The club publishes a wealth of literature and information pertaining to almost all years and models of Packards including sales catalogs, owners’ manuals and shop manuals.<\/p>\n

As a member of Packards International<\/a> you will receive our quarterly color magazine “Packards International”, as well as its quarterly companion publication “The News Counselor”.<\/p>\n

You will also receive invitations to our yearly International Membership Meet and National Tour, access to our projects, literature, and free advertising in our publications.<\/p>\n

For those of you interested in acquiring a Packard Motor Car… it’s simple… “Ask the Man who owns one”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Packards International Website<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For decades, the Packard Motor Car Co. marketed some of America\u2019s most prestigious cars under the slogan \u201cAsk the man who owns one.\u201d Today, though, if you want to find out about Packards, all you need to do is ask Robert Escalante. Escalante owns Custom Auto Service, a Santa Ana shop that is known throughout […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"page-fullwidth.php","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279,"href":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8\/revisions\/279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.customautoservice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}