Amityville selling Packard to raise funds

Amityville’s gently used 1929 Packard convertible will go up for auction this fall, officials said this week.

The minimum bid is $200,000, said village clerk Diane Sheridan, with an open inspection on Oct. 1. Sealed bids must be submitted by Oct. 7; the top five bidders will be invited to an in-house auction at Village Hall.

The car seats seven, comes with a distinctive “flying goddess” hood ornament and was used for a time by disgraced New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker, who waved to constituents from its backseat at city parades until a corruption scandal forced his resignation in 1932.

Amityville resident Victor Doyle bought it and paid for a $150,000 restoration; his family donated it to the village in 1999. Since then, Sheridan said, it has been cared for by local members of the Long Island Motor Touring Club, who drove it in the village’s own parades.

Sheridan, who never drove the Packard herself but walked alongside it at those events, called it “a beautiful car.”

Amityville officials announced they were exploring a possible sale last April to raise funds during what Mayor Peter Imbert called one of the worst budget seasons in recent memory.

Auction questions can be directed to Sheridan’s office at 631-264-6000.