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| The sporty Packard 2-38 Pheaton Runabout of 1914 (photo from the author's collection) |
The 1914 model year was a transitional one for Packard. Having introduced their first six-cylinder car only two years prior, Packard had now standardized on the six-cylinder. However, they offered a dizzying array of chassis and body options. This car, seen in a period postcard, is a 1914 Model 2-38 with a two-tone "phaeton runabout" body - a very sporty offering. With an L-head, 38 horsepower engine, this car is smaller in displacement than their model 48 of the same year. 1914 also brought a number of new features to Packard, including left-hand drive and a Delco electric starting system.
In May of 1915, Packard would introduce their landmark Twin-Six and change everything - the first mass-produced V-12 engine. Additionally, Carl Fisher would pace the 1915 Indianapolis 500 in a Packard factory special built from a 1914 Model 2-38 runabout.
Today, there are roughly 6 to 8 1914 Model 2-38 Packard's known to survive. Only one of these is a runabout - the 1915 Indy pace car. If you own a 1914 Packard, you have between the 141st and 161st oldest Packard to survive.
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| Factory image of a 1914 Packard Model 2-38 Pheaton Runabout (photo credit: Detroit Public Library, IMLS) |
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