|
Re: Packard Bikes
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
 
|
... And just to show you that we know a bit about Packard pedal cars too, take a look. This is from a late 1930s catalogue in our collection.
In the 1930s through the 1950s, it was common to merely label a generic pedal car design as a "Packard" or other brand of automobile. They were built for kids, after all. This catalogue page clearly also shows a Graham listed. This, even though this Graham and the Packards have basically the same design and stampings with different paint and graphics. Both the Packards (there are actually two listed) and the Graham here were available with inflatable balloon tires. All three had working electric headlights that people today imagine were only on bicycles when they see the actual parts. Another such generic pedal car only styled by Vik Schreckengost and made by Steelcraft was labeled "Chrysler" and was for sale just recently on the internet. However, other pedal cars were indeed designed/styled to mimic real Packard automobiles. But as far as I could ever determine, these little pedal cars were still not made in connection with Packard Motor Car Company. At least not on any mass scale or official factory sales promotion. While the last two postings here are skewed a bit from Packard bicycles, they are in response to the posting earlier in this thread regarding Packard bicycles and pedal cars supposedly being given away as incentives to buy Packard automobiles. Now, who else shows you such stuff and the facts to go along with it? And we just continue... Attach file:  PackardPedalcarLitWM.jpg (281.92 KB)
Posted on: 2022/9/6 12:58
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Packard Bikes
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Forum Ambassador
 
|
A couple of vintage images of Packard-styled pedal cars. The first courtesy of Gusha, the 2nd from the Detroit Public Library.
Attach file:  Pedal car.png (462.49 KB) Detroit Pub Library.jpg (28.01 KB)
Posted on: 2022/9/7 13:56
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Packard Bikes
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Speaking of Packard pedal cars, there is one currently for auction with bidding starting at $4,000.
Posted on: 2022/9/10 21:09
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Packard Bikes
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Great to see all of the pedal car stuff.
As I mentioned earlier, back in the 1970s I had a very unusual four-passenger Packard pedal car. That pedal car was quite old and appeared to be from the early 1930s. It looked just like a real Packard phaeton complete with Packard styling cues and electric headlights. Unfortunately my Packard phaeton pedal car was in pretty bad condition at the time. So I sold it to someone who said they were going to fully restore it. Wonder where it is today? Now. Many of the American bicycle companies (or their subsidiaries) also made pedal cars and what are commonly known today as "wagons." There were also Packard wagons and I once had one of those too. No clear photos, but somewhere I have literature. Can't find it right now but what I do have at hand is literature on a Cadillac wagon. People today think wagons like "Radio Flyer" brand were merely for hauling things around (like at a swap meet). Or for sitting in front of a Christmas tree. But it wasn't that way when I was a kid growing up in Detroit. Today's people have either forgotten or never knew what kids (primarily boys) used to call "coasting" and how popular this activity once was. To go "coasting" you had to have what were known as a wagon or "coaster wagon." You got in on one knee with your right foot folded under you. Then you pushed yourself, scooting along forward with your other foot. You steered with the tiller. Voila! "Coasting." Some kid would yell, "Let's go coasting" and the neighborhood boys would line up on the sidewalk and do a concours d'elegance. Sometimes we would line up like a LeMans start for a Grand Prix race and then take off in a procession. Coasting, despite being forgotten today, was once a big deal for American boys. In my neighborhood I had a Packard wagon (yes, a company–not PMCC– made those too). But one day another kid showed up with a Cadillac wagon. It had really nice wheel roller-bearings and full suspension– believe it or not. While I cannot find my Packard wagon brochure right now, here is an original piece of literature on the Cadillac wagon. As you can see, yes, this wagon used a Cadillac logo just like the car. And you will even notice that the ad refers to it as a "coaster wagon." BUT... Cadillac Division of GM was certainly not making these. Cadillac wagons were made (very nicely I might add) by a company in Detroit, Michigan. Now let's sit back and we'll see how many stories now surface of Cadillac wagons being given away by Cadillac to entice the purchase of a new car. And since we are on the subject of all this stuff, many years ago I owned quite a bit of the remaining "Kidillac" (yesss, they made these too) pedal car stuff from the Garton company. The unrestored original paint black and salmon color "Kidillac" pedal car (with a continental kit spare) pictured around the internet today was originally mine. Attach file:  CadillacWagon copyWM.jpeg (259.44 KB)
Posted on: 2022/9/28 14:28
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Packard Bikes
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Forgot to mention regarding the Cadillac coaster wagon shown in the ad. The company that made this wagon in Detroit was also an ally of Creative Industries of Detroit.
By now, hopefully most of you know Creative's connection with Packard Motor Car Company.It seems that Creative Industries was once involved with or at least on working terms with seemingly everyone who made a wheeled vehicle of any kind! And yes, some of the last Packard-branded bicycles were done in Detroit with input from Creative and GM's one and only Harley Earl. Long story...
Posted on: 2022/10/26 0:33
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Packard Bikes
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Now let's move to 1939. Remember what we told you about the term, "knee-action" with bicycles? Here it is again... with Packard-brand bicycles being sold in Lancaster, Pennsylvania during 1939.
The entire bicycle industry in the USA once called front suspension forks "knee action" or "knee-action" as on cars. But today and since the 1980s, people insist upon calling knee-action spring forks on bicycles as "springers." Even vintage bicycle collectors today will say, "It's got a springer..." How this phenomenon got started, nobody knows. But we have shown you several instances were people from the times when these bicycles were made referred to them as "knew action" bicycles. Here is an original 1939 Packard bicycles so equipped. Dare I say it? Again, no mention of these bicycles being given away with new Packard automobiles. The retailer store selling these bicycles was a sporting goods store known as Shenk Brothers. This original advertisement is courtesy of National Bicycle History Archive of America (NBHAA.com). Attach file: ShenkBrosSportingGoodsSellingPackardBicycles1939LancasterPAWM.jpg (57.67 KB)
Posted on: 2022/11/24 18:27
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Packard Bikes
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
For some odd reason, one of the references in the text regarding "knee-action" morphed to a change to "knew action." This is not what it was originally intended to say.
The term and wording here should have been "knee-action" ... This was the most widely used and accepted term for a bicycle spring fork in North America until the 1970s when suddenly the street term morphed into "springer." Nobody in the American bicycle industry was calling these things "springer" during the era when they were actually made.
Posted on: 2022/12/12 23:05
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Packard Bikes
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Now to pre-Christmas of 1936. And (what else?) more Packard bicycles.
Were these bicycles at a Packard dealer? If you've been following this thread, you'll know by now... nope! No packard automobiles were involved. But here was a contest sponsored by Lanco Stores (of Lancaster, Pennsylvania) giving away both boy's and girl's Packard bicycles. Yes, giving them away. But not for buying Packard automobiles. Now, with the knowledge you should have acquired by now, you'll know that Packard bicycles came from various bicycle manufacturers. In this case, the maker of these bicycles was famous Cleveland Welding Company (CWC). You can scroll back through this thread and see what CWC's Packard bicycle headbadge looked like. Yesss, for those of you who are really, really sharp, there was a kind of connection with Packard Motor Car Company. CWC made wheels and other components for Packard automobiles at various times. CWC was also famous for innovations and introductions related to de-mountable car and truck rims. CWC also used automotive designers to do their bicycles. Among these was famous Brooks Stevens. CWC was obviously located in Cleveland, Ohio and made very high quality bicycles. In this contest that started around Thanksgiving of 1936 the kids had to save up package flaps from either Kix and Wheaties cereals or Softasilk and Bisquick flour mixes. Or seals from Gold Medal flour. (Chances are good that you'll remember these brands if you were born before the Apollo Moon landing.) The most of these items turned in before December 19th 1936 was eligible to win one of four Packard bicycles (notice, NO cars are mentioned). CWC's most famous main line of bicycles was the "Roadmaster" brand. While prewar and early postwar Roadmaster bicycles were of stellar engineering and overall quality, the line sadly suffered with quality issues years later. The Roadmaster brand on bicycles continues to exist today in name only. Original advertisement is provided here via Leon Dixon and [i]National Bicycle History Archive of America. NBHAA has original factory literature for every year of CWC bicycles including factory records. (NBHAA.com)[/i] Four lucky kids had a very Merry Christmas... well over 80 years ago with Packard bicycles. Attach file: CWCPackardXmas2.jpeg (175.75 KB)
Posted on: 2022/12/26 20:33
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Packard Bikes
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Just popping in
 
|
Looking for help to identify this prewar ASC Packard bicycle. I believe it to be 1940
Attach file: 20221228_152013.jpg (194.29 KB) 20221228_151549.jpg (576.58 KB)
Posted on: 2022/12/29 11:04
|
|||
|
||||
