It's Pebble Beach time again and regrettably I'm not going this year. However, a look through the online auction catalogs show that there will be a few early vehicles offered for sale. Gooding and Company has a 1907 Wolfe touring car on offer.
The Wolfe (taking the last name of the salesman with whom the Wilcox brother partnered with) was manufactured in Minneapolis by the H.E. Wilcox Motor Company. The assembled car used a Carrico air-cooled engine or a Continental water-cooled engine (as this car has). It is thought that the company produced less than 50 cars this first year. Few car were built through 1909 when the model name changed to Wilcox. They would continue through 1911.
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| 1907 Wolfe - photo credit: Gooding & Co Auction |
The Horseless Age of August 7, 1907 featured a quite up on the new car, covering the specifications. Additionally, the Cycle and Automotive Trade Journal list the new car among the year's offerings with the touring car priced at $1800 (not including top or windscreen).
The next car on offer is a 1912 Packard Model 30 (UE) Phaeton on the long wheelbase (129.5 inches). It is thought to be the only surviving example. The car was delivered in the summer of 1911 through the NYC dealership and apparently shipped to Europe. The car was soon back in Ottawa, Canada and purchased in 1912 by the Boyd family. They would keep the car for the next 66 year - selling it in 1978. The current owners have held on to the car for the last 39 years! Chassis number 20237 is said to be the 189th oldest Packard and certainly looks to be a car to treasure.
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| 1912 Packard Model 30 Phaeton - photo credit: Gooding & Co Auction |
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| 1912 Packard Model 30 Phaeton - photo credit: Detroit Public Library National Automotive History Collection |
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| 1912 Packard as found circa 1978 - photo credit: packardsonline.com |
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