Vehicle Description
The Kissel Motor Car Company was founded in 1906 by two ambitious
young brothers, George and Will Kissel. The Kissel family, who had
emigrated from Germany to Wisconsin, gradually expanded their
farming operations to include groceries, hardware, lumber and
homebuilding among other businesses. The family's generous wealth
certainly aided in Will and George's enthusiastic plans to build an
automobile. The first prototype was quite advanced; a shaft-driven,
four-cylinder runabout built in 1905. By 1907 production of the
"Kissel-Kar" was underway, using Beaver engines and bodies supplied
by the Zimmerman Brothers, sleigh builders from up the road in
Waupun, Wisconsin. Soon, the Kissel brothers were producing a car
entirely of their own manufacture, and orders from distributors
came pouring in. The Kissel was known for being high on quality,
value and performance - as well as for its clever features such as
the "all year top" which was in essence the first removable hard
top. Kissels grew more complex and luxurious, with a twelve
cylinder "Double Six" eventually joining the lineup.
Following a lull in sales in the immediate postwar years, things
picked up for Kissel and they transitioned into the roaring
twenties with a range of sporty, high-quality cars. In 1919, Kissel
introduced its most famous model - the "Gold Bug" Speedster.
Kissel's most famous and enduring product, the "Gold Bug" Speedster
was actually the mastermind of one of the company's dealers. New
York distributor Conover T. Silver commissioned the Speedster to
his own design. The sporty Silver-designed Kissels even carried his
name for a time. The "Gold Bug" designation came from a naming
contest for the sports car organized by Kissel and was chosen from
over 500 submissions. This sporty two-seat roadster featured
six-cylinder engines of Kissel's own manufacture mated to a
low-slung body with cycle fenders and no running boards that gave
the appearance of a racer for the road. The flamboyant and stylish
Gold Bug proved to be very popular with some of the biggest names
of the time - Emelia Earhart, Fatty Arbuckle, Ralph DePalma, Greta
Garbo and Al Jolson were all counted among the roster of Kissel
Gold Bug owners. Today, just a handful of Gold Bugs survive, each a
rolling homage to the glamorous and exiting Jazz Age.
The motorcar offered is not only the earliest surviving Kissel
Speedster, but also one of the finest examples extant. Identified
as chassis no. 1141, this Kissel is known to have been manufactured
before the sobriquet "Gold Bug". Carrying a rich history beginning
in the 1950s, this Kissel has not only been well documented with a
rich list of previous owners, but also meticulously restored to
Concours standards for which it has been awarded. The car's known
history traces back to the small town of Orchard Lake, Michigan,
where C.R. Funk owned and preserved it from the 1950s until it was
acquired by Bill Harrah in the 1970s. As part of Harrah's renowned
collection-one of the most prestigious of its time-the Kissel was
meticulously maintained alongside many other significant
automobiles. Following the dispersal of the Harrah collection, the
car was sold at auction in 1986.
The car passed through two owners, first to Knox Kershaw of
Alabama, followed by Larry MacElree of Newtown Square, PA. Larry
and his wife, Jane, cherished the car from 1990 until 2017, when it
was acquired by David George II, then-owner and operator of D.L.
George Historic Motorcars in Pennsylvania completed a full
restoration, documented by photographs on file. Great attention to
detail and authenticity included rediscovering and refitting the
original aluminum dash behind a newer replacement, as well as using
period-correct materials for the running boards and flooring, and
rebuilding all of the mechanical systems save for the engine and
rear differential, which while disassembling and refreshing, were
found to be in good condition and did not require rebuilding. Most
interestingly, when the body was stripped, the original paint color
was found to have been black, inside and out-and thus, the present
and correct livery is a menacing and muscular change from the more
common Kissel Chrome Yellow. The car was shown by Mr. George at The
Elegance at Hershey in 2017, receiving the Heritage Award, and at
the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in 2018, this Kissel is well
known for how outstanding it is.
This delightfully sporty and distinctive motorcar is arguably the
finest example extant from this seldom seen marque. Beautifully
presented in its sinister, original livery, this Kissel's
reputation precedes itself. Recognized as a CCCA Full Classic, this
1919 Kissel Model 6-45 Speedster is ready for its next motoring
adventure, whether that be on a concours field, or on the open
road.
Offers welcome and trades considered
