Without Reserve
Chassis: Packard Vehicle No. 3862
Engine: 3862
Saleroom Addendum
Please note that the title that the Estate has for this vehicle records the VIN as 09355 and the year as 1908.
Introductory Year for the Legendary Model 30 Chassis
Formerly Owned by Harrah’s Automobile Collection and Alton Walker
History Recorded by Packard Luminaries John Grundy and Tim Martin
432 CID T-Head Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
Single Float-Feed Carburetor
30 HP (Rated) at 650 RPM
3-Speed Manual Transaxle
2-Wheel Mechanical Drum Brakes
Front Tubular Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
Rear Live Axle with Semi-Elliptical and Transverse Leaf Springs
By the time Packard’s Model 30 was introduced for the 1907 model year, the company had built its reputation for producing automobiles of the highest quality and performance, with highly publicized endurance and speed records. Its most successful model to date, the Model 30 remained Packard’s flagship offering for six model years, with most receiving factory coachwork. For the more sophisticated and demanding customer, the Model 30 chassis was the ideal basis for a bespoke creation by a fine coachbuilder, such as the historic Brewster-bodied example offered here.
This early production Model 30 was bodied by Brewster & Co. of New York as a formal, open-front town car, featuring leather fenders and a luxuriously appointed rear compartment trimmed in fine fabric. The driver’s compartment is finished in black leather and may be partially enclosed when utilizing the removable collapsible top. The original owner of this Packard is not recorded, however, Packard historian Tim Martin cites a registration for the car issued in 1916 to W.W. Reese of New York. Mr. Reese, a successful real estate trader, and his wife Augusta were active in the social scene of New York City, having recently moved into their newly finished home on Murray Hill’s 37th St., which to this day is still named after its first occupants. The formal yet cozy Packard would have been perfect for their use around Manhattan.
By the mid-1940s, the Town Car was acquired by early collector Lloyd C. Partridge of Chicago, and in 1946, he took part in the Glidden Tour with the Packard. In 1949, the Model 30 made its way to California when it was purchased by noted enthusiast Alton Walker of Pebble Beach. Mr. Walker, who served as chairman of the first Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in 1950, was also a frequent exhibitor at The Lodge for the next 35 years. In September 1949, he stated in a personal letter to the Horseless Carriage Club’s Los Angeles chapter on file, that his new Packard was to be entered in his gathering called Walker’s Sesqui-Centennial Antique Car Exhibit, in Monterey.
Following ownership in Texas, William Harrah purchased the early Packard for his collection, and its firewall still displays the collection’s numbered brass identification tag. In late 1987, the Packard went to General William Lyon of California and was soon sold to the Imperial Palace collection in Las Vegas. In 1998, Mark Smith became the owner of the Model 30, and it has been sequestered in his collection since.
Today, nearly 120 years old, this custom-built Model 30 stands as a testament to the legendary quality that was the hallmark of the Packard Motor Car Company from its earliest years, and to the high regard each caretaker has held for it over the past century. Its next steward will have the honor of adding to its history and legacy.
*Please note that this Lot, like all vehicles in this Auction, has been in long-term static storage and may not be currently operational. It will require mechanical attention prior to any road use.
Gooding & Company presents and conducts the Estate of Mark Smith Auction under the authority of John J. Rendemonti, Executor of the Estate of Mark J. Smith, duly appointed by the Circuit Court of the State of New Hampshire, Probate Division, Case Number 312-2022-ET-00072. The Estate has compiled available title and/or registration paperwork for the Vehicles offered in the Auction and will provide such paperwork to the Buyer if it is available. However, as set forth more fully in the Conditions of Sale, neither the Estate nor Gooding makes any representation or warranty with respect to any existing certificate of title or registration with regard to any Lot in the Auction. Any Lot may be sold on a Bill of Sale. By participating in this Auction, all bidders and buyers recognize that Estate and Gooding have expressly disclaimed all such warranties concerning the availability or sufficiency of any title or registration documentation.
