Cars from the Ron Pratte Collection
Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a 30-day series featuring cars from the Ron Pratte Collection that will be sold at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction in January.
This 1912 Packard Sightseeing Bus (Lot #2505) is more than a piece of Packard history. It’s a slice of California history as well.
For several years, this served as a sightseeing bus in Yosemite. It also has been featured in the Rose Bowl Parade and has transported VIPs at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The original owner of the vehicle is believed to be the U.S. Army. At one point, it was part of the famed Otis Chandler Collection.
The bus can carry 42 passengers in seven rows of seats. It was restored in 2001. The polished brass glass and the woodwork of the canopy appears to glow. Period details include a brass gong used for calling passengers, a dash-mounted Sterling clock, and an acetylene-powered “Solar-Eclipse” brass lamp.
The Packard bus is powered by a 432-cubic-inch four-cylinder T-head gasoline engine teamed with a 3-speed manual transmission. Dual chains deliver power to the rear wheels, which are shod with solid rubber tires.
This 1912 Packard Sightseeing Bus is scheduled to cross the auction block in Scottsdale on Saturday, January 17.
The Ron Pratte Collection will begin being auctioned with automobilia from Saturday, January 10 at 9 a.m. (MST) through Tuesday, January 13 at 1 p.m. Pratte’s vehicles first cross the block at 4 p.m. on Tuesday with lot numbers 2000 through 2109 and continue with lot numbers 2500 through 2530 Saturday, January 17.
no way will it seat 42 people.