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5 Passenger Touring – Right Hand Drive
Vehicle # : 215710R
Chassis # : 215725
Body #: 218-456
Original Registration #: 10215 (Victoria)
Manufactured: in U.S.A.
Shipped: via S.S.Mareeba
Arrived: Sydney, Australia June 29, 1926
Delivered to: Kellows – Faulkner Pty/ Russell St. Melbourne
Ordered for and delivered to:
Miss Annie Meyer
660 Burwood Rd
Auburn, Victoria Sate
September 17, 1926
Kellows – Faulkiner installed fender tire
wells, changed 2 spare wheels from rear of auto to front fenders and
added cowl lights
Approximate cost delivered: $12,000 US
(according to McIntosh, 1600 LBS Australian (according to Overend)
Miss Meyer also owned a Daimler and a Stutz
(McIntosh and Overend). She used this car until she died in 1959 and
left it in her will to her chauffeur, a Mr. Harold Smith or Thompson
(?) who died shortly thereafter. He supposedly left no survivors so
the Packard reverted to Miss Meyer’s nephew, David Chamberlin, 112
Guilford Rd., Surry Hills, Victoria.
On January 20, 1964 he sold it to Darren
Overend, “Lociel” (Now Chevy Chase), Were St, Brighton Beach,
Victoria for $500 Aust. When he purchased it, the odometer
registered 38,695 miles. He owned it until September 1965 during
which time he rebuilt the engine, renickeled the plated parts and
repainted some of the body.
The Packard was sold again on September 3, 1965
to Cameron McMillan, Turra Murra, Sydney NSW for $1200 Aust. The
mileage was no about 50,000 miles on the odometer, but since Chamber
drove it for sometime with it disconnected it is estimated to be
about 62,000 miles.
Mr. McMillan soon sold it to a friend (?), a
Mr. John Choate in Connecticut (no address). In February 1966 it was
advertised in the New York Times Newspaper for $3,000. Mr. Charles
McIntosh of Palm Beach, Florida answered the ad, brought the car
over the phone, flew to Connecticut and drove it back to Florida.
During the time Overend owned it, the Packard
was driven on an 1800 mile tour and participated in hill climbs, and
other competition conducted by the “ Vintage Drivers Club” of
Melbourne and published in the club newsletter on July 1965.
McIntosh drove it a total of 14,000 miles. In
the spring of 1968 he drove it to Boston, Massachusetts and
consigned it to the Larz Anderson Museum’s first Antique Auction.
When it did not sell he drove it to Manchester, Vermont so he could
drive it in the Glidden Tour that fall. Legal problems prevented
this so it was stored at the Earl Phanebecker Auto Agency in Latham,
NY. When this agency was sold and the storage lost, it was sold in
October 1969 to Lester Robinson of Middleport, New York who had
expressed interest in it to the agency owner.
Apparently Robinson was dissatisfied with the
color or condition of the paint so he repainted it a 1955 Ford truck
blue. In the 2-½ years he owned it, he drove it only a few times
including once to the Ford Greenfield Museum in Michigan. He
advertised it in the fall of 1971 in “Cars + Parts” Hemmings. I
bought it in January 1972 and used as part payment a restored 1929
Model A Ford Sport Coup that he planned to use for advertising in
his Ford agency.
Besides having a terrible paint job it proved
to be a mechanical disaster. When I bought it, it was 20 degrees
below zero and in an unheated garage so I never heard it run. It was
drivable so we used it “ as-is “ that summer.
From 1972 to 1975 I completely rebuilt it
mechanically, also my wife, Donna, spent one whole winter cleaning
and softening the hard and dirty original leather upholstery. Now it
ran well but still looked terrible. During 1980 – 81 we had all the
many coats of paint removed and repainted a 1976 Chrysler Red and
black. Also added new tires, tonneau windshield, radiator ornament,
old original windwings, driving lamps and side mount mirrors. Turn
signals and stop lights were unobtrusively mounted as a matter of
necessity for night driving because some times it is long after dark
when we get home from a show or a visit that is 50 – 100 miles away.
Many modern day drivers do not expect the tiny ruby red glow of an
antique taillight to be attached to a full size automobile and only
on the right hand side at that.
“Matilda” has been a very dependable automobile
for the 27 years we have owned it. It may balk occasionally but it
has never failed to bring us home and cruises nicely at 45 – 55 mph.
Never having driven a right hand drive automobile before, it was
quite an experience to shift with my left hand, find the brake pedal
to the right of the accelerator and give hand signals from the right
side of the car. Also, startling to people passing on the highway is
to see my wife in the left front seat reading a book or just dozing.
“Matilda” has garnered many awards in the past
years and we are very proud of her.
“ Ask the man + women who owns one”
Tom + Donna Vagnini
58 Anthony Rd RR3
Pittsfield, Mass 01201
( 413 ) 698 – 2526 ( Richmond, MA)
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