Photo courtesy of AACA Museum.
Its exact history is something of a question mark, but with a build date that goes back to the First World War, the 1917 Packard Twin Six 2-35 motorhome recently donated to the AACA Museum by Dick Seybolt of Monkey Island, Oklahoma, may be the oldest RV in the United States.
Remaining photos from Hemmings archives.
The 1917 Packard Twin Six motorhome graced our online classifieds last September, and was even chosen as a Find of the Day for its unique appeal. Then, Seybolt described the rig as in very good running condition with a local restoration, completed after his 1981 purchase. Its remarkable state of preservation is likely due to the fact that the RV spent much of its life in Southern California, and had been stored indoors since arriving in Oklahoma.
Reportedly built for Pickwick family in Los Angeles, the heavy-duty rig is powered by a 424-cu.in. Twin Six V-12, which produced 88 horsepower and was mated to a three-speed manual transmission. At some point after construction, the Packard was equipped with an air over hydraulic front suspension and air assist for the otherwise manual brakes.
Patterned upon the luxury rail cars of the day, the Packard’s carpeted interior is complete with a rear sofa that converts to a bed, a central bath (now absent) and a kitchen that includes a two-burner gasoline-fueled cook, an ice box and a white porcelain sink.
The Packard previously graced the Afton Station and Packard Collection in Afton, Oklahoma, on loan from Seybolt. While the rig’s donation to the AACA Museum will be a loss to those traveling Route 66 through Oklahoma, its new home should ensure that thousands of visitors per year get a sense for what “roughing it” was like in the years between WWI and the Great Depression.
More gadget review in www.mamaktalk.com
