Paul Helms moved his family from New York to Southern California in
1926, and on 2 March 1931, opened Helms Bakery at the corner of
Venice and Washington in Los Angeles. The following year Helms was
named official baker of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, its
signature "Olympic Bread" becoming a regional staple for decades.
Helms goods were never sold in grocery stores; they reached
customers from San Diego to Fresno aboard a fleet of distinctive
yellow-and-blue vans crewed by "Helmsmen" in white shirts, chinos,
neckties, and caps, their pie-tin whistles announcing each block's
fresh bread.
Those vans came from Twin Coach, founded by brothers Frank and
William Fageol in Kent, Ohio, alongside their twin-engine city
buses. The Twin Coach delivery truck used a patented drop-down
center frame section for easy entry and exit, and was designed to
be driven seated or standing. A single left pedal operated as both
clutch and brake, freeing the driver's right foot for the throttle
and his hands for the wheel. In 1936 the Fageols sold the delivery
division to Divco of Detroit, and the rectangular vans became known
as Divco-Twins. Helms Bakery was the largest single buyer of the
type.
This 1936 Divco-Twin Coach is one of 148 flat-nosed delivery vans
built for Helms during the first year of the Divco-Twin
partnership. Power comes from a Hercules inline-four rated at 37.5
horsepower, paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Restored
in its original Helms livery of yellow and blue with period-correct
"Helms Bakeries" graphics, the van retains its custom oak interior
cabinetry by Gordon Gain, the original pie-tin whistle, and the
distinctive bicycle seat that gave the driver a semi-standing
posture between stops. A charming and nicely restored example of a
Los Angeles icon, it is ideal for weekend gatherings, parades, and
other appearances as a rolling piece of mid-century Americana.
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