photobyjohnbo

Cellpic Sunday—Carrying Scientists to the First Atomic Dawn

A 1941 Packard Clipper limousine

March 2026.
Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On our journey to Arizona in late 2017, we visited the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque. The museum covers the story of the nuclear age from its earliest experiments to modern applications. You can see a photo story from our original visit here. Upon our return this spring, I discovered that we’d completely missed an entire section tied to the Manhattan Project—the top‑secret New Mexico program that developed the first atomic bombs. This time, when I rounded a corner, I found this beautifully restored 1941 Packard Clipper.

The Curator’s Account

A placard beside the car notes that the Clipper debuted in 1941 as a modernized, streamlined design just before the U.S. entered World War II. According to the display, this specific model was chosen for the Manhattan Project’s transport needs. Out of approximately 16,600 Packard Clippers produced that year, only 100 were converted into these extended, long-wheelbase limousines by the Fitzjohn Coach Company.

The Desert Years: A Forgotten Relic

After its wartime duty ferrying physicists from the rail station in Lamy to the secret laboratory at Los Alamos—and later out to the Trinity test site—the limousine was slated for disposal. Instead of being destined for scrap, it spent six decades sitting in the New Mexico desert. Its historical significance wasn’t recognized until years later, when a collector rescued the remaining shell of the rare Packard Clipper Eight and eventually donated it to the museum.

Restored Cabin, Persistent Museum Glare
Restored Cabin, Persistent Museum Glare

The Restoration: Resurrecting a Witness to History

The restoration project began around 2010. When the car first arrived, it was just a weather-beaten shell strapped to a flatbed. A two-year frame-off restoration was performed to return the 12-passenger limousine to its exact wartime appearance. Today, it is featured in the Trinity Gallery as a piece of Manhattan Project history.

About the Photos: I captured these images with a Samsung S25 Ultra using the Expert RAW app. After denoising the opening image in Lightroom Classic, I moved to Photoshop for a Generative Fill session to clear the stanchion belt from the Packard’s front end. I discovered a useful trick during the process: since one AI iteration nailed the hood’s lighting while another perfected the grille, I layered and blended both to get the best of both worlds. After a final pass with the Remove tool to clean up the harsh shadows caused by the belt I removed, both photos were finished back in Lightroom.

I invite fellow bloggers to join in by creating their own Cellpic Sunday posts. There’s no set theme. The first rule: your photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or other mobile device. The second rule: link your challenge response to this post or drop a comment here with your link so others can find it. And remember, despite the name, there’s no penalty for sharing on a day other than Sunday.

John Steiner.

39 comments

  18. If only the car could talk and tell us about the conversations of its passengers, we might know what was on their minds during each ride! My entry here:

    Blue

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.