The third French entry was the DeDion with a 4-cylinder 30 HP engine and 4 speed transmission. Capable of 50 mph it weighed in at a hefty 6,600 pounds and carried 185 gallons of fuel in seven reservoirs. The Team consisted of G. Bourcier de Saint Chaffray, 36; Alphonse Autran, 25; and Hans Hendrik Hansen, 43. Saint Chaffrey was determined to regain automotive glory for France after the loss to Italy in the 1907 Peking to Paris Race. Capt. Hansen was a Norwegian ship Captain with an imagination. He had fashioned a ship’s sails for the DeDion, which was an unlikely alternative power source for the automobile. Hansen would later quit the French Team and join the Thomas Flyer crew.
1941 Packard Model 160
Roger and Kathy Hershberger of Jesup Iowa have a unique entry with their Packard.
Early in World War II , Buicks, Cadillacs, and Packards were used as staff cars. They carried high ranking officers, messengers and for performing administrative functions. During World War II, civilian automobiles were taken from the production lines and painted to suit the particular branch of the service. Very little modification was performed to the cars when they entered the military service.
Early in the war, the US Navy bought 1941 and 1942 models of whatever cars the dealers had in stock. They did not paint the cars; but instead used them in the original colors. Navy markings and stars were added to the cars that were to be used as staff cars.
Roger bought this car in 2013 and later added the staff car markings after the car was repainted. This car does have factory air conditioning which is still in operating condition. Roger has participated in two CCCA classic car caravans with the Packard; one to Boise Idaho in 2013 and another from St Louis to New Orleans in 2017. As a member of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association he drove the Packard on two of their cross country convoys. In 2015, he drove the Packard on the Bankhead Convoy from Washington DC to San Diego. Then in 2017, Roger participated in the MVPA Route 66 convoy from Branson MO to Los Angeles. These trips add up to 25,000 miles of driving since purchasing the car in 2013.