The diplomatic Packard that defied darkness

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This year marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War. First-hand accounts from that dark period are becoming increasingly rare, and it will not be long before those with clear memories of the war are gone entirely.

We were initially drawn to these photographs by the elegant Packard bearing a Corps Diplomatique plate, knowing little of its story. The man standing beside it in a white suit is Swiss diplomat Carl Robert Lutz, who, as it turns out, played a remarkable role during the war. The image of his stately Packard unfolded a narrative more heroic than many battlefield tales. Lutz is credited with saving over 62,000 Jewish lives during one of the bleakest chapters of the 20th century.

As Switzerland’s vice-consul in Budapest during the war, Lutz employed every nuance of diplomacy—and no small measure of courage—to issue protective documents and designate safe houses as Swiss territory. His chauffeur-driven Packard became a silent accomplice, gliding through Nazi checkpoints under the protection of its diplomatic plates and the neutrality they represented.

The car is believed to be a 1938 Super Eight Touring Sedan, finished in a sober black. Yet when parked outside the Swiss legation, it became far more than a mode of transport—it was a symbol of hope. If ever a car deserved to be remembered not just for what it was, but for what it represented and enabled, this Packard is surely it.

Where is it now?

Lest we forget.

Words: Jeroen Booij
Pictures: Fortepan Hungary

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