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1920 Kissel Model 45

The Kissel Automobile was built in Hartford, Wisconsin from 1907 to 1931. After production ceased, Kissel folded after an arrangement with Ruxton failed.

Like many German immigrant families in Wisconsin, the Kissels made their initial fortunes in the farming business and expanded into other business ventures including lumber mills, quarries, sand pits, real estate, and homebuilding. Vehicle production began in 1906 for the 1907 model year on a vehicle that featured a four-cylinder engine installed on a 96-inch wheelbase chassis. The quality of the Kissels' automobile was recognized by the prominent Chicago dealership W.A. McDuffee, who immediately placed an order for 100 cars for his dealership.

By 1909, Kissel was offering vehicles with three different engines and chassis variations, with prices ranging from $1,350 to $3,000. The Kissel Company continued to grow and in 1915 introduced its famous long-stroke six-cylinder L-head engine which would be used with minimal changes until 1928.

The sportiest vehicles ever built by Kissel were designed by their New York distributor, Conover T. Silver. Among these sporting Kissels was a speedster that featured the innovative use of two outrigger seats that slid in and out of the side of the body like a drawer. This model, known as the Goldbug Speedster, is considered to be one of the most desirable of all Kissel cars.

A 1920 Vanity Fair advertisement reads, 'The Kissel designing and construction policy interprets custom-built as a fact – not a theory; a practice – not a phrase. In every detail of equipment – under-the-surface, as well as on-the-surface – the most care is taken, not only to make each car complete, but of the custom-built quality and exclusiveness demanded by, and expected of, Kissel Tradition.'

In 1920, Kissel built three open and three closed custom-built cars. Each car was enhanced with 22 steps of hand rubbing and polishing involved in the treatment of the primer and finish coats of paint. The Kissel cars employed a double-drop frame which gave them a lower center of gravity and a lower vehicle profile.

A total of 1,398 examples of the Custom Six were produced in 1920.

Mechancial Specification

The 1920 Kissel was powered by a 284 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine with an Updraft carburetor offering 61 horsepower and paired with a three-speed manual transmission. There were two-wheel mechanical brakes and a leaf spring suspension. The speedster had a 120-inch wheelbase platform, and the other body styles resided on a 124-inch wheelbase.

Body Styles

The list of 1920 Kissel body styles included an urban sedan, six-passenger sedan, coupe, four-passenger tourster, seven-passenger touring and standard open tourer, and two-passenger speedster.

by Dan Vaughan

Speedster
Chassis number: 451964
Engine number: 451964

This 1920 Kissel Model 6-45 'Gold Bug' Speedster (a Model 6-45) was acquired in 1921 by Charles T. Bent of Rhode Island, who promptly used it to take his new wife on their honeymoon to Niagara Falls. The Speedster remained with the Bent family for 37 years - including being used by the couple's daughter, Beatrice, as her college automobile.

Antique dealer Ralph Murphy acquired the Kissel in 1958, then sold it to George Hall, who began a restoration completed by the next owner, Eugene E. Husting of Boston. Mr. Husting exhibited the car at several Veteran Motor Car Club of America gatherings, as well as in the club's museum at what is now the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The Gold Bug then became part of the Harrah's Automobile Collection but was supplanted in 1964 by the earliest known example. Over the coming years, the car changed hands on several occasions, most prominently residing with Alfred Koller, in whose ownership received a body-off restoration by Penn-Dutch of York, Pennsylvania, and became an AACA Senior award-winner.

Since 2014, this Kissel has been part of the Academy of Art University Automobile Collection.

The car shows minor cracking in its paint at the rear of the body. The crushed leather seats are in fine condition. There are Halliday spring-loaded bumpers (a period accessory), and a folding 'trap seat' on the side of the body. This 1920 Kissel is titled as a Model Year 1922.

by Dan Vaughan

Speedster
Chassis number: 451964
Engine number: 451964

On January 23rd of 1919, two Kissel custom-built body styles were exhibited at the Chicago Auto Show. Kissel called them 'Silver Specials,' named after Conover T. Silver, a New York distributor, and his team of stylists who created these masterpieces. The Tourster was presented in 'Silver Blue' and the Speedster in 'Chrome Yellow.' The speedster was affectionately named the 'Gold Bug.' With its high cowl and bending hood, the doors and rear of the body were lower, creating a streamlined look. The most notable feature was the way the top folded, with the main beam being made to jack-knife with the booted top nestled to the rounded body contour.

Making up 60-percent of Kissel's sales during its first year, the Silver Special were craved by all. The car attracted purchasers such as dignitaries in aviation, automobile racing and theatre. Among the purchasers were Amelia Earhart, Ralph DePalma and Al Jolson.