Always built to the highest standards, the Packard was unquestionably one of the finest American cars of the pre-war era.

Dissatisfaction with his Winton motor carriage is said to have spurred James Ward Packard to build a superior automobile.

Aided by his brother and two defectors from the Winton company, Packard set up shop in his electrical engineering factory in Warren, Ohio, from which the first Packard car - the single-cylinder Model A runabout - emerged in November 1899.

The Packard's innovative engineering and superior build quality were soon attracting the attention of wealthy clients, William D Rockefeller purchasing two at the New York Automobile Show in November 1900.

‘Ask The Man Who Owns One,’ was adopted as the company’s advertising slogan.

Cars powered by two-, four- and six-cylinder engines quickly followed, before Packard became the first manufacturer to introduce a series production V12 with the launch of the Twin Six for 1916.

An immense success for the compan...