1907 Packard Model Thirty

Packard Electric Company was a pioneer manufacturer of cable and electrical devices including carbon arc lamps. It was founded by James Ward Packard and his brother William in 1890, giving them the financial stability to acquire a Winton automobile built by Alexander Winton. Dissatisfied with his purchase, James Ward offered Mr. Winton suggestions on how to improve his product. Winton took the critique poorly and challenged Packard to do better. The first Packard automobile was completed on November 6, 1899, and a year later, the Ohio Automobile Company was incorporated and renamed in 1902 as the Packard Motor Car Company. Initially based in Warren, Ohio, the company relocated to Detroit in 1903. Approximately 400 automobiles were built at the Warren, Ohio-based factory from 1899 until 1903.

Packard solely produced four-cylinder models from 1903 until 1912; a six-cylinder model was part of the company's lineup from 1913 until 1947.

Packard displayed an automobile at New York City's first automobile show in 1903. Development was ongoing, and the Packard motorcars quickly earned a reputation for reliability, durability, and enviable performance. A 1902 Packard Model F with a single cylinder 12 horsepower engine with automatic ignition advance and 3-speed sliding gear transmission was driven from San Francisco to New York in 1903, taking 53 days to complete the transcontinental trip.

After moving to Detroit and recapitalized as the Packard Motor Car Company, the company transitioned from buggy-style runabouts and tourers to the front-engined, rear-wheel drive configuration with the Model K and its successor, the Model L. Truck production commenced in 1903, making Packard one of the first companies to produce internal combustion powered trucks as a separate and distinct line.

The Packard Model Thirty Series U
The Model Thirty was introduced in 1907 and was the first Packard to indicate its engine power in the model name, as previous Packard Models were identified by letters. (It is worth mentioning that the Model S of 1906 was marketed as the Model 24, referring to a claimed 24 bhp output from the T-head engine). The production of the Model Thirty continued until 1912, and it, along with the Model 18, represented the company's last four-cylinder offering.

The 1907 Packard Model Thirty
The Model Thirty was Packard's only model offered in 1907; the Model Eighteen joined the Model Thirty in 1909 and both would remain in production through 1912. The Model Eighteen was more affordable than its sibling, with prices that were approximately $1,000 less. It had a similar catalog of body styles but was built on a shorter wheelbase and powered by a smaller, 265.7 cubic-inch inch engine rated at its namesake - 18 horsepower.

The 1907 Packard Model Thirty was not an all-new automobile but an improved version of the previous S, again offered as a runabout, tourer, limousine, and landaulet but dropping the Victoria. Wheelbase sizes increased by three inches (now measuring 122 inches), displacement rose from 349.9 to 431.9 cubic inches, and prices were approximately $200 higher than the 1906 versions.

The four-cylinder, T-head, 431.9 cubic-inch engine had a float-feed carburetor, a cast iron block, three main bearings, solid valve lifters, a 5-inch bore, 5.5-inch stroke, and produced 30 horsepower at 650 RPM (it was rated 40hp under the ALAM system and advertised by the conservative Packard marque as producing 30 hp). Along with a larger displacement courtesy of a .5-inch larger bore, the engine had larger valves, and the tops of the cylinder and valve chambers were now flat instead of the prior domes. Engine numbers for the 1907 Packard began with 3003 and ended with 4134.

The transmission was a three-speed sliding gear unit with an unusual expanding flywheel clutch, shaft drive, bevel gear differential, and live rear axle. Packard had abandoned transverse leaf spring suspension the previous year with the Model S and both the front and rear axles had semi-elliptical leaf spring suspension. Expanding shoe and contracting band brakes on the rear wheels provided redundant braking.

There were wooden, artillery wheels and a tire repair kit that now included a pump and jack, along with irons for carrying extra tires. Headlights were another new standard amenity, as were the irons for an extension cape cart top.

The runabout and tourer body styles were priced at 4,200, the limousine at $5,500, and the landaulet at $5,600. A 122-inch wheelbase was used for all body styles except the lightweight, sporting Runabout (Gentleman's Roadster), which utilized a 108-inch wheelbase platform.

Packard produced a total of 1,128 examples of its 1907 Model Thirty, which was introduced in August 1906.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2024