60 bhp, 415 cu. in. L-head six-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and two-wheel mechanical brakes. Wheelbase: 115 in.

• From a noted private collection

• Well looked after and occasionally driven

• One of only five known remaining examples

• Award-winning Packard

Packard’s first six, a massive 525-cubic inch T-head designated Model 1-48, debuted in April 1911. In December 1912, a smaller six, the Model 1-38, was introduced. An L-head design with cylinders cast in pairs, it displaced 415 cubic inches and developed 60 horsepower. The 1-38 was the first Packard car to have left-hand drive and electric starting, the latter from a Delco starter-generator developed by Charles Kettering. A notable feature of the electrical system was a control unit attached to the steering column. The brainchild of chief engineer Jesse Vincent, who would later design the Twin Six and Liberty aircraft engines, the unit had switches for the ignition, lights, and horn, an ignition lock, and mixture control for the carburetor.

The 1-38 runabout was built on a jaunty 115.5-inch frame shared with the coupe and measured nearly two feet shorter than the other available Packard chassis. The result was a nimble automobile with spirited performance. Approximately 1,618 examples were built in 1913 and 1914, a result deemed so successful that four-cylinder cars were dropped entirely.

Chassis 38878 was owned by a gentleman from Cleveland, Ohio until being purchased by Neil Ensworth, of Canaan, New York, in 1948. In 1950, it was sold to a gentleman named Cotton from Kissimmee, Florida before being passed on to Oakley Sumpter, of Perryville, Maryland, in 1957, at a reported price of $450! In 1985, the car was sold to Wendell Ohlendorf, of Beecher, Illinois, who performed a restoration; it was then sold to Wendell Kuiper, of Highland, Indiana, before passing to noted collector John McMullen in 1997, who commissioned award-winning restorer Brian Joseph to repaint it in a proper red with white pinstripes.

The front seats and rear seats are upholstered in red and complemented by the black canvas top with deep red lining and brass hardware; the twin rear-mounted spare tires have a black canvas cover. The wood steering wheel has been nicely refinished, and its nickel spokes have been polished to a high luster, as has all the brass, which includes head and side lamps, tail lamps, instruments, horn, and windshield hardware. The chassis, suspension, and axles are all refinished in body color and complemented by wheels finished in red and pinstriped in grey and white. The engine is painted in gloss black and detailed with highly polished brass and aluminum ancillaries.

Painstakingly restored, it has won many awards, including a First in Class at Meadow Brook Hall, Best of Show at Bay Harbor, and a First in Class at Greenfield Village. Its most recent owner has kept it well maintained and serviced. He has enjoyed taking it out on short jaunts and reports that it runs very well. Except for a showing in Colorado Springs, it has not been seen publicly, and thus, presents the opportunity to share it with a new audience who will be inspired by this exceptional Brass Era Packard.