Vehicle Description
Chassis No. F4162A31773
Paul Helms, a New Yorker who moved to southern California in 1926,
opened a bakery at the corner of Venice and Washington on 2 March
1931. The next year Helms was named the official baker of the 1932
Los Angeles Olympics, its signature "Olympic Bread" a regional
staple for decades to come. The bakery's massive production plant
straddling Los Angeles and Culver City once produced 150 different
lines of baked goods. But Helms baked goods were not available in
grocery stores and supermarkets, instead delivered fresh to
neighborhoods from San Diego to Fresno by a fleet of Twin Coach
vans manned by "Helmsmen" wearing white shirts and chinos,
neckties, and caps.
Twin Coach vehicles were originally built by brothers Frank and
William Fageol in Kent, Ohio, who also produced twin-engine city
buses. The Twin Coach had a unique patented drop-down center frame
section allowing easy entry and exit for deliverymen and were
designed to be driven seated or standing. The driver used only two
pedals to operate the coach, with a unique left pedal that acts
first as a clutch, then, when pressed further, engaged the brakes.
The brothers sold the delivery truck division to Divco (Detroit
Industrial Vehicle COmpany) in 1936, and the rectangular vans were
then known as Divco Twins, not to be confused with the famous
"snub-nose" Divco Model U trucks favored by many dairy producers.
Not surprisingly, Helms Bakery was the largest buyer of Divco
Twins, but after World War II Divco no longer produced the Twin. In
1948 Helms Bakery ordered 195 bare chassis, a last one-time buy for
the discontinued model, then had aluminum bodies made by the
Standard Body Company of Los Angeles. Like previous Twins built for
Helms, interiors were fitted with oak chests of drawers custom-made
to Helms' specifications, used to display bakery items for
customers. Built for the long haul, Helms used their special Divco
Twins until 1969.
This 1948 Divco Twin Coach is one of the 195 ordered by Helms in
1948. It's powered by a Ford 172 industrial engine producing 62 hp
at 2200 rpm driving a four-speed manual transmission. Beautifully
and recently restored with updated with 12-volt electrics, it
carries the specification and distinctive livery of Helms Bakery, a
wonderful memento of life in mid-century America.
