Offered from the esteemed Packard Collection of Gail and Howard Schaevitz

1917 Packard Twin-Six 2-25 Seven Passenger Touring

424ci Side-Valve V12 Engine
Single Carburetor
88bhp at 2600rpm
3-Speed Transaxle
Front and Rear Leaf Spring Suspension
Rear Mechanical Brakes

*A fine example of the second series of Twin Six
*Simple and known history from new
*Sympathetically restored bodywork
*Recently revived and running

THE TWIN SIX PACKARD

The background to the origins of the model is recounted in the description for the 1916 example of the marque from this collection (see lot 239). They had been so well received in their first full year of production, being lauded for the refined nature of the new power plant, which delivered power and flexibility unheard of at the time. It is an oft cited statement, but well worth repeating, that Enzo Ferrari was so impressed with the smoothness of the Twin Six engine that he used it as inspiration for his own V-12 engines years later.

Never one to rest on their laurels, already for the second series of Twin Six for the 1917 sales season, Packard made some early refinements to the still relatively new model. They updated the engine to have detachable cylinder heads and relocated the thermostat to the radiator, while the car now ran closer to the road, on smaller 35 x 5 inch wheels.

As with the engine, the bodywork immediately evolved also, the body line being two inches lower and the fenders now following the wheel curve. Even details such as the upholstery springs were softened to make the ride even more cozy for the passengers and a new Warner speedometer and Warner Lenz headlamps were fitted. If the competition felt they had the measure of the marque, Packard kept them on their toes and one-upped themselves.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

Chassis 126726 would have been delivered early on in the production of the model, with the sequence commencing at 125,000. The original owner of this 2-25 was a Mr. Martin P. Rice of Schenectady, north of Albany, New York, who worked at General Electric. Receiving the car in 1917, he would keep it for the next 7 years, before selling it to James Tiffany of Delanson in New York. Mr Tiffany cherished the Twin Six right through until 1970, when its first transaction as a collectible automobile took place and it passed to Ted Hutchinson of Athol, Massachusetts. It was one of the earliest to be sourced by Howard Schaevitz for his collection, when he purchased it in October 1976, and has resided with him ever since.

As an early acquisition, and more in line with the fashion of the hobby, Mr. Schaevitz chose to sympathetically refurbish the car, stripping its body back to bare metal and repainting in the popular scheme of blue bodywork, with black fenders and cream coachlines. The interior was retrimmed also at that same time and entrusted to Leif Drexler. Under the skin though, a decision was made to retain the original finishes for the frame and running gear, making for an interesting contrast and attesting to the underlying authenticity of the car. Along with others in his collection, the 1917 was shown on occasions, the most recent being the 2013 Auburn Heights Invitational in Delaware, when the celebrated Packard.

Again, the '17 has been unused for a few years, but was revived this year with only modest effort, showing it to remain in good order. It is an outstanding example of the model and the marque.