Unknown Teens Vintage Auto for the CFD

[Steve Hagy]

Hi,

 

I really like this car, but I wish the guy had sat down so that there was more to see!  Anyway, another mystery courtesy of the Cincinnati Fire Dept.  Really anxious to learn what this is.

 

Thanks for all of the assistance.

 

Steve

[Larry Schramm]

I am going to say a Packard. Early teen's?

[Steve Hagy]

5 minutes ago, Larry Schramm said:

I am going to say a Packard. Early teen's?

Interesting that you said Packard.  When this photo was sent to me it was identified as a 1912 Packard.  The problem with that is that according to the official Fire Department log book of vehicles owned there wasn't a 1912 Packard owned by the Department.  Cincinnati had a 1909 Packard but it was a 7 passenger, 4-door model.  Look forward to more input.

[Gunsmoke]

Do you know for sure it is a fire vehicle. A 2 seat roadster would be an unusual choice, don't see any significant FD identification. Perhaps the gent's own car. Not sure shape of hood works for Packard.

[Steve Hagy]

Okay, so I dug out a photo of the Cincinnati Packard.  I had the year wrong in my previous post.  This was placed in service of May 5, 1907.  There are certainly some similarities between the two photos.  Was the original car cut down to make the runabout shown in the first photo?

[Steve Hagy]

3 minutes ago, Gunsmoke said:

Do you know for sure it is a fire vehicle. A 2 seat roadster would be an unusual choice, don't see any significant FD identification. Perhaps the gent's own car. Not sure shape of hood works for Packard.

The fellow standing in front of the car was an officer with the CFD.  Wish I knew more about why the photo was taken.

[Larry Schramm]

42 minutes ago, Steve Hagy said:

Interesting that you said Packard.  When this photo was sent to me it was identified as a 1912 Packard.  The problem with that is that according to the official Fire Department log book of vehicles owned there wasn't a 1912 Packard owned by the Department.  Cincinnati had a 1909 Packard but it was a 7 passenger, 4-door model.  Look forward to more input.

 

I am going to say Packard because among other things, the hubcaps.

 

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[95Cardinal]

I agree with the Packard guess.

Front of the car looks like a 1910 Model 30.

[Steve Hagy]

Hi,

 

No doubt from the replies and that hub cap photo that the photo I posted is of a Packard.  What I would now like to learn is there any possibility that this is the 1907 Packard that has been cut down to the version shown in the first photo?

[motoringicons]

25 minutes ago, Steve Hagy said:

Hi,

 

No doubt from the replies and that hub cap photo that the photo I posted is of a Packard.  What I would now like to learn is there any possibility that this is the 1907 Packard that has been cut down to the version shown in the first photo?

That would be my assumption as well. The car in question is a Packard Model 30 which was a fast, well built, and expensive car for the era. It makes sense that they would have modified it for continued usage. This would not have been uncommon during this period. The things I noticed are the wheels have been cut down and now have  balloon tires, the gas lights have been changed to electric,  and, of course, the body modifications. The first photo must have been taken around the mid-1920s (or later) as that would be the year range of the Model T coupe seen in the background. Somebody might be able to blow up the photo enough to read the license plate to determine the exact year.

Edited April 12, 2022 by motoringicons (see edit history)

[nzcarnerd]

4 hours ago, motoringicons said:

That would be my assumption as well. The car in question is a Packard Model 30 which was a fast, well built, and expensive car for the era. It makes sense that they would have modified it for continued usage. This would not have been uncommon during this period. The things I noticed are the wheels have been cut down and now have  balloon tires, the gas lights have been changed to electric,  and, of course, the body modifications. The first photo must have been taken around the mid-1920s (or later) as that would be the year range of the Model T coupe seen in the background. Somebody might be able to blow up the photo enough to read the license plate to determine the exact year.

I reckon that plate on the T is 1924 - 

 

 

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

Some thoughts from twin6 on the subject -

 

"The images aren’t of the best resolution, but that’s often the case with mystery pix!

 

I think the runabout/modified car is consistent with a 1909 model 30 based on what we can make out of the radiator neck/cap, with 1910 front fenders.  The hood/bonnet former that is so pronounced on an 18 is not there.  The whole firewall/windscreen setup looks modified.  I’d hate to stake my life on that identification.

 

The touring car looks to be a 1909 model 30, again based on type of front fender (one year) and the radiator neck/cap.  I suppose it’s possible this car was modified to create the chief’s runabout, but again, I’d hate to bet my life on it."