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SLIDER: 1909 Packard Model 30

This illustration of a Model 30 appears in the 1909-1910 issue of the Penrose Annual – the annual of the British printing industry.  It makes no reference to the make or model of the car; it is simply a beautiful example, from the Electro Tint Engraving Company, of a “Motor Car Illustration” (subtitled “Reproduced in Four Printings”.)

Identification of the car was, however, quite an easy task.  Almost convinced that this was a Packard radiator, we looked at Packard history for the time, and discovered that Packard only made two models: the 30 and the 18 – and the bonnet (hood?) on this one is long enough to be that of the larger 30.  And we saw several pictures with near identical bodies.

The Packard Model 30, frequently also called Model U, was a four-cylinder car built in several series from 1907-1912. Together with the smaller Model 18 (1908-1912), it was Packard’s last four-cylinder automobile. It established Packard as a luxury car maker.

The Model 30 had a water-cooled, four-cylinder, T-head engine delivering 30 hp at 650 rpm and displacing 431.9 cubic inches (7,078cc), with a bore and stroke of 5in x 5.5in.  The car used shaft drive from the beginning, while some other American luxury cars were still using chain drive.


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