1908 Packard Model Thirty Runabout

The first Packard was built in 1899 by the Ohio Automobile Company, later named the Packard Motor Car Company in 1902. By then, the company had produced 300 cars, all one and two-cylinder models. The company participated in automobile competitions as early as 1901, although they were more an endurance run than a race. Packard completed its first cross-country run of 5,600 miles from San Francisco to Manhattan Island in 1903 in a 13 horsepower Model F known as 'Old Pacific.' The journey took 61 days - a record.

The first Packard racecar was known as the 'Gray Wolf,' a lightweight aerodynamic car powered by a 275 cubic-inch engine developing 25 horsepower at 1,000 RPM. Designed and driven by French engineer Charles Schmidt, its debut was in 1903 at races and speed trials in the Eastern United States.

Packard built race cars on and off for the next three decades, including several cars for the Indy 500. Carl Fisher, a Packard dealer in Indianapolis, was one of the four founders of the Indy Speedway in 1909. Packard also built engines for airplanes, including the Merlin V-12 used extensively during World War II, and racing boats which were competitive until the 1980s. Some of those engines produced 2500 horsepower, in sharp contrast to the Gray Wolf's 25 horsepower. The company fell on hard times after purchasing the Studebaker car company in 1954 and was gone by 1962.

This Car was the first Packard roadster sold in California and completed a non-stop endurance run from Los Angeles to Oakland in 1929 using a special refueling truck. In later years it was featured in the movie 'The Great Race.'

This 1908 Packard is powered by a 7,076cc four-cylinder 'T' head with an aluminum crankcase, iron cylinders, and delivers 40 horsepower at 2,000 RPM. There is a three-speed non-synchromesh transaxle, rear drum brakes, and wood spoke wheels.