Lucius B. Packard (c. 1836-1914) was an American wheelwright, cabinetmaker and automobile pioneer in the Veteran Car Era. He built his first Velocipede in Peabody, Massachusetts in 1860, followed by a "real" bicycle in 1879 that was built in Salem, Massachusetts.[1]
In 1895, L.B. Packard built a prototype automobile that featured a 2-bhp (ca. 1,5 kW) gasoline engine by the American Gas Engine Company that gave its power via a chain to the left rear wheel. Speed was controlled by two levers; one sat on the right of the steering lever. Moving it forward accelerated the vehicle, backwards slowed it. In a vertical position it brought the engine to idle. A second lever behind the seat did the same for reverse. Packard found a buyer for his car before he finished it.[1][2]
In 1896 he completed another four-wheeled vehicle, this time with an electric engine. It was also derived from a horse-drawn carriage. His last car was built in 1898, an electric three-wheeler with a single front wheel, allowing the use of a long steering lever. It had a center-tube frame, and the bodywork was hinged with springs.[1]
L. B. Packard worked in his shop and sold bicycles at Liberty and Derby streets in Salem until it was destroyed by a fire on June, 25th 1914. Packard died on October 14, 1914. Photographs exist of his runabout and the Three-Wheeler.[1]
There is no known relationship with the Packard family from Warren, Ohio, founders of the later Packard Motor Car Company.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Kimes, Beverly Rae; Clark Jr., Henry Austin (1996). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87341-428-9.
- ^ Horseless Age: The Automobile Trade Magazine. Horseless age Company. June 1895.