1915 Packard Model 3-38 Runabout

Packard introduced its smaller 6-cylinder motorcars in 1912, offering them a choice of 14 different body styles, all built from aluminum over white ash framing. The Model 38 was Packard's first car to have a left-hand drive and an electric starter.

This Model 38 Runabout was ordered by Carl G. Fisher, one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway who opened what is believed to be the first automobile dealership in the United States. It was built using a 1913 chassis shortened by 9 inches and added a 1915 3-38, six-cylinder engine. An aluminum body was installed with reduced-diameter wheels. This resultant 'special' is described as a 2-38 Special Runabout.

Mr. Fisher used this car to survey the route for the first transcontinental Lincoln Highway, for which he is also famous, and in 1915 he drove it as the pace car at the fifth Indianapolis 500. In storage for over 80 years, its current owner cleaned it up, got it running again, and took it back to the Indianapolis track 101 years after its last visit. This car is the earliest surviving Indy 500 pace car and a direct link between the world's most famous race track and its founder.