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Packard Motor Museum's Fitch Model D 20-35

  This Fitch Four Drive Model 20-35 is now on display at The Packard Motor Museum in Maungatapere, Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand, about 100 miles northeast of Auckland.
  The tractor is in rough shape and is missing the radiator, hood  and other sheet metal and engine parts. The manufactures plate appears to be missing.

  The tractor belonged to farmer and earthmoving contractor by the name of Graeme Craw. He had a strong interest in the Industrial Revolution. He decided he wanted to preserve the history and uphold the memory of the principal instigators of the revolution which took place in Britain during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. He wanted to display machines and artifacts, particularly those pertaining to colonial New Zealand. Graeme also wanted to illustrate the historical evolution of one car. The Packard caught Graeme’s attention because its makers were first class engineers building America’s most prestigious cars. Hence the collection houses 52 Packards, covering most models from 1919 to 1958 when Packard finally closed its doors. This is now the second largest collection of Packards in the world, some say the largest.

  Sadly, in 2007 Graeme passed away and the museum was almost totally closed to the public. Efforts are slowly reopening it, but much work needs to be done to bring it to life again.

  Reportedly New Zealand’s largest private collection, the Packard and Pioneer Museum, has been until now Northland’s best kept secret. This charitable trust encompasses a vast collection of classic and vintage cars, including the following;
• 52 Packards
• Other classic cars of interest (some owned by important historical figures)
• 65 classic motorbikes
• Military vehicles
• Fire-engines
• Early steam tractors and traction engines
• A few horse drawn vehicles (including buggies and a Royal Mail coach)
• Allis-Chalmers bulldozers
• Buses and commercial vehicles
• Many other early NZ earthmoving machines and tractors
• Stationery engines
• Early telephones
• Sewing machines
• A collection of saws
• Cast iron stoves
• Vintage toys
• and a fabulous range of early colonial domestic items and paraphernalia
 

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