Packard Floral Car 1910

This photo is of a Packard touring car decorated as a gunboat for the floral parade, one of the most anticipated features of the March 1910 Indianapolis Automobile Show. The car won one of three contest categories - the "unique" class - by which cars were organized and judged. The other two were "dealers" and "private" class.
 
Thank you to First Super Speedway reader Carolyn Erickson for this outstanding contribution.
 
The Packard "gunboat" may have been the most amazing of a long line of heart-stopping floats. Imitation cannons - compete with "blackened noses" - protruded from the flower-covered sides of the ship. The Stars and Stripes gloriously streamed from the masts. The Indianapolis Military Band struck up the "Star-Spangled Banner," and the guns emitted noise and smoke. The crowds reportedly loved it and expressed their appreciation with cheers.
 
A similar photo was published in the Indianapolis Star on April 2, 1910. From that, we learn that Frank Willis drove the car and helped design the decorations with Ray Holcomb. Their young sons were positioned as captain and pilot at the front of the vehicle. This float was a fantastic fifty feet long with drapes hanging so close to the ground that the car appeared floating along at sea.