Cars: The Early Years, by author Brian Laban

Entering into the twenty-first century, it is difficult to image a world without the automobile, a world without the mobility and the personal freedom it offers, or the virtually unrestricted horizons it has created… The fact is that the world had to learn to live with the automobile because it cannot live without it. That became true from the moment of its birth, more than a century ago. Since then the story of the automobile has been a constant battle between passion and conscience, spiced by speed, style and extraordinary personalities. —- From the Introduction.

About early Packards. The Model A (1899) was the first automobile produced by the Packard Motor Company. Model B (1900–1901): The Model B was the second model produced by Packard. Steering was still by a lever, but a foot pedal was now used for speed control rather than a lever like in the Model A. The Model C (1901)had a more powerful engine. It was also the first Packard to use a steering wheel instead of a tiller. The Model F (1901–1903) was the last single-cylinder car made by the Packard and had a new 3-speed transmission. When it competed in an economy contest, the Model F averaged 27.5 mpg It was the most expensive Packard till then, costing $2,500 in 1902.