The Packard Motor
Car Company came into being in 1902. However the
company was originally started as the New York
and Ohio Automobile Company by brothers James and
William Packard in 1898. In 1901 the name of the
company was changed to the Ohio Automobile
Company and changed again in 1902 when the
company became the Packard Motor Company. The
product range was aimed at the top end of the
market and its cheaper lines were not
particularly successful.
The Packard
Landaulet modelled by Lesney was apparently based
on an example purchased and restored by Henry
Austin Clark Jr. The information on the box
stated that the car could then be seen at the
Long Island Automotive Museum. I have no idea if
it is still there!
The Lesney model
only appeared in this red colour scheme although
the shade of red did vary slightly during
production. The early issues were quite a dark
red. The final issue has a distinctly orangy
tone. Early models were fitted with a four
pronged spare wheel carrier and a metal steering
wheel. These were replaced by the 'standard'
three pronged carrier and a plastic steering
wheel in later issues.
The wheels of this
model can be found occasionally in unplated form.
Although a negative variation these are quite
collectable. The picture shows issue 1 with
unplated wheels and issue 4 with the plastic
steering wheel.
Most issues can be
found at swapmeets for between £15 and £25. The
first issue carries a small premium and can be
identified by a baseplate varying slightly from
the other issues.
Be careful when
cleaning this model as the transfer crest on its
side is quite delicate.
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