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The Raymond Plaster Auction

Auction Information

Historic Evita Perón 1939 Packard Super Eight and Other Classic Cars to Sell at Public Auction
Impeccably restored Packard Super Eight Derham Phaeton was formerly owned by Argentine government and said to have been Juan and Evita Perón’s favorite parade car.

The late Raymond Plaster and his wife Carol spent 19 years and more than 7,000 hours restoring the 1939 Packard Super Eight Raymond purchased at an auction in 1983. The car was originally commissioned by the Argentine government for its Presidential fleet and was driven as a parade car for Juan and Evita (Eva) Perón. The car, along with several other classic cars, will now be offered at public auctionon Tuesday, November 7, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, by regional firm SoldASAP Auctioneers in conjunction with their national partner, MarkNet Alliance.

“This is a rare opportunity for someone to purchase a significant piece of history,” says John Malone, owner and auctioneer at SoldASAP Auctioneers. “Along with our partner MarkNet Alliance, we have marketed and sold some amazing vehicles at auction, but this car (the Perón Packard) could be the rarest we’ve seen. The history of this car and the passion the Plaster family has for it is incredible.”

One of 3,962 Super Eights produced by Packard in 1939, Derham Body Works performed custom modifications to the car to transform it in to a parade car for the Argentine presidential administration. According to Argentines with ties to the car, it was Evita Perón’s favorite parade car. Photographs and video show her in the Packard Derham Parade Car shortly before her death in 1952.

After Juan Perón’s ouster in 1955, the Packard was hidden away inside a small brick enclosure at a farm outside of Buenos Aires where it’s condition deteriorated. It was disentombed in the early 1970s, likely after Perón’s death. Through a few complicated owner transfers, the Packard ended up in Nebraska. The Packard was in running condition and was accompanied by documentation of its prior ownership and history. In 1983, Raymond Plaster purchased the car at an auction in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Plaster transported the Packard to his garage in Bull Shoals, Arkansas, where Carol and he would begin a life-long, intensive restoration process. With contributions from other automobile restoration experts, the Plasters devoted nearly two decades to personally refinishing the car. By 2002, the car was restored to its original glory and remains in that condition today.

“We even restored the screws, believe it or not. Those are the original screws that are in that car—most of them,” says owner Carol Plaster. “To know you’ve got that kind of history, to know they loved the car, too, and to bring that car back to life—it’s really something.”

The 1939 Packard Super Eight, along with other cars restored by the Plasters, will be sold at auction on Tuesday, November 7, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, at the Nettleton Baptist Church. The auction will be conducted live with online bidding available. SOLDasap, LLC, of Paragould will conduct the auction.


The media is invited to see the car unveiled on November 6 at 11 a.m. at the Nettleton Baptist Church facility. The 1939 Packard Super Eight along with the other cars will be open for public viewing following at noon. Additional cars selling at the auction include, 1931 and 1929 Ford Model A, 1919 Ford Model T, 1936 Ford Deluxe, 1941 Ford Truck, 1970 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible, Factory Five 33 Hotrod plus vintage gas pumps and hit and miss engines.

For photos, bidding and more details, visit soldasap.com or call at 870-236-0632

Located in Arkansas, with nearly 20 years experience in the auction business, SOLDasap specializes in helping estate executors, landowners, business owners and families sell assets and property. Family owned and operated by John & Tasabah Malone, SOLDasap stays on the leading edge of technology and marketing through their partnership with MarkNet Alliance, a national, membership-based network of 60 auction companies. The collaboration with MarkNet Alliance allows the company to market any asset on a global level. Combined, MarkNet Alliance partner companies sell more than $1 billion in assets yearly.

Media Contact: John Malone, john@soldasap.com, (870) 236-0632
Auction Details
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