Kissel Motor Car Company

Kissel Motor Car Company was an American vehicle manufacturer based in Hartford, Wisconsin. Founded in 1906 by Louis C. Kissel and his four sons, the company grew out of a broader family business network that included a hardware store, farm-machinery production, engine manufacturing, electrical utilities, construction interests, and banking. This industrial background gave the Kissels experience with machinery, power systems, fabrication, and distribution before they entered automobile production. The company began building vehicles in 1907 and marketed its cars under the name Kissel Kar. Rather than competing solely through high-volume standardized production, Kissel emphasized finely finished, custom-built automobiles. Its product range included touring cars, roadsters, coupes, sedans, speedsters, taxicabs, hearses, fire trucks, ambulances, and trucks. The company operated from a plant on Kissel Avenue in Hartford and also maintained sales representation outside Wisconsin, including a Chicago office in the early 1910s. Kissel developed a reputation for substantial engineering and distinctive styling. Its automobiles were offered with four- and six-cylinder configurations and in multiple body styles, including models with detachable coupe or sedan tops. The best-known passenger car was the two-seat or occasional four-seat speedster commonly called the Gold Bug. Produced from 1919 through 1927, the Gold Bug became associated with celebrities and public figures, including Amelia Earhart, Roscoe Arbuckle, and other prominent entertainers, athletes, and aviators. From 1927, Kissel also offered the sporty White Eagle Speedster. The company achieved visibility in competition and publicity events. Harvey Herrick drove a Kissel automobile to victory in the 1910 Los Angeles-to-Phoenix Cactus Derby. In 1915, Kissel supplied a car to actress Anita King for a transcontinental drive that was described as the first such journey completed by a woman driving alone. These events helped position Kissel as a maker of capable and stylish American automobiles rather than merely a regional utility-vehicle producer. Commercial vehicles were equally important. Kissel built trucks in several capacities, ranging from light three-quarter-ton vehicles to heavy five- and six-ton models. During World War I, it supplied ambulances and heavy service trucks to Serbia and produced three-ton FWD Model B trucks under license from the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company for the United States War Department. The company therefore served civilian, commercial, and military customers. Kissel prospered after World War I, but the competitive environment became increasingly difficult as larger manufacturers expanded standardized production and reduced prices. The company accumulated losses during the late 1920s, and the onset of the Great Depression further weakened demand for expensive custom automobiles and commercial vehicles. An attempted hostile takeover led by New Era Motors president Archie Andrews added to the company's instability. Kissel entered receivership protection in November 1930, effectively ending its role as a major automobile manufacturer. The Kissel family continued in motor-related manufacturing after the automotive business declined. In the 1930s, the company produced outboard motors and became a significant supplier to Sears, Roebuck. The remaining business was sold to West Bend Aluminum Company in 1942. Although the marque disappeared from the automotive market, surviving Kissel cars, trucks, and especially Gold Bugs remain significant artifacts of early American automobile manufacturing. A small number of vehicles are preserved in museums and private collections, and surviving examples have received recognition at major concours events.

The Kissel family's industrial activities in Wisconsin preceded the automobile company by several decades. Conrad Kissel emigrated from Prussia to Wisconsin in 1857, and his son Louis C. Kissel moved to Hartford in 1883. In 1890, Louis and his sons Adolph, Otto, William, and George organized a group of enterprises that included a hardware store, the Hartford Plow Company, Kissel Manufacturing Company, and Hartford Electric Company. The family also participated in engine production, outboard-motor development, construction, quarrying, sand extraction, and lumber milling. This diversified manufacturing base supplied the technical and commercial foundation for automobile production. Kissel Motor Car Company was incorporated in 1906 by the Kissel family and United States District Attorney H. K. Butterfield. Production began in 1907 under the advertising name Kissel Kar. The company established itself as a maker of high-quality, often custom-built automobiles. It offered four- and six-cylinder cars in numerous body configurations, including touring cars, roadsters, coupes, sedans, and detachable-top models. Kissel also built specialized bodies and commercial vehicles, allowing it to serve private owners, businesses, municipalities, and public-service organizations. The company’s product portfolio expanded beyond passenger cars. Kissel manufactured trucks ranging from approximately three-quarter-ton capacity to heavy six-ton models. It built taxicabs, hearses, fire trucks, and ambulances, and maintained a Chicago sales office as it sought customers beyond Wisconsin. During World War I, Kissel supplied vehicles to foreign and domestic military users. In 1915, it shipped ambulances and heavy service trucks to Serbia. By 1918, it was producing three-ton FWD Model B trucks under license from the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company for the United States War Department. Kissel gained publicity through motorsport and long-distance driving. Harvey Herrick’s victory in the 1910 Los Angeles-to-Phoenix Cactus Derby demonstrated the capabilities of its automobiles. In 1915, actress Anita King used a Kissel for a transcontinental journey that was presented as the first coast-to-coast drive by a woman driving alone. Such events complemented the company’s premium image and helped distinguish it from anonymous utility-oriented manufacturers. The Kissel Gold Bug was the marque’s most recognizable model. It was a compact, sporty speedster generally configured for two occupants, though some versions accommodated four. The model was produced from 1919 through 1927 and attracted celebrity owners including Amelia Earhart and Roscoe Arbuckle. Kissel followed it with the White Eagle Speedster beginning in 1927. The company also used a Mercury emblem; in the late 1930s, it granted Ford permission to use the emblem for a planned marque. After World War I, Kissel initially benefited from strong demand, but the industry was becoming more standardized and price-sensitive. Larger manufacturers had greater economies of scale, while Kissel’s custom-oriented production structure imposed higher costs. Competition and declining demand produced mounting losses in the late 1920s. The Great Depression intensified these problems, and an attempted hostile takeover associated with New Era Motors president Archie Andrews added further pressure. Kissel sought receivership protection in November 1930. Automobile production did not recover as an independent major business. The Kissels continued manufacturing outboard motors during the 1930s and became important suppliers to Sears, Roebuck. In 1942, the remaining business was sold to West Bend Aluminum Company. The automotive marque is now defunct, but surviving Kissel vehicles are preserved in museums and collections. Approximately 200 of the roughly 35,000 automobiles produced are known to survive, together with surviving trucks. The Gold Bug remains especially valued by collectors, with individual examples receiving awards at events including Pebble Beach and the Elegance at Hershey.

• 2019

  Gold Bug receives Elegance at Hershey award

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The same surviving 1921 Gold Bug won Best in Class in the American Spirit, 1920–1931 category at the Elegance at Hershey.

• 2018

  Gold Bug receives Pebble Beach award

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  A surviving 1921 Kissel Gold Bug won Best in Class in the Vintage Era Sporting category at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

• 1942

  Remaining motor business sold

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  West Bend Aluminum Company acquired the remaining Kissel outboard-motor business.

• 1930

  Receivership protection

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company entered receivership after losses, intense competition, economic depression, and takeover pressure.

• 1927

  White Eagle Speedster introduced

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Kissel added the White Eagle Speedster to its sporty passenger-car range.

• 1919

  Gold Bug era begins

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Kissel introduced the speedster that became widely known as the Gold Bug.

• 1918

  FWD Model B production

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Kissel produced three-ton FWD Model B trucks under license for the United States War Department.

• 1915

  Military and transcontinental publicity

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Kissel shipped ambulances and heavy trucks to Serbia, while Anita King undertook a notable transcontinental drive in a Kissel automobile.

• 1910

  Cactus Derby victory

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Harvey Herrick won the Los Angeles-to-Phoenix Cactus Derby in a Kissel.

• 1907

  Automobile production begins

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Kissel began building automobiles marketed as Kissel Kar.

• 1906

  Motor-car company incorporated

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Kissel family and H. K. Butterfield incorporated Kissel Motor Car Company.

• 1890

  Kissel family industrial partnership expands

  [1]Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Louis C. Kissel and his sons established a group of Wisconsin businesses involved in hardware, farm machinery, engines, electricity, and related manufacturing.

A premium American manufacturer emphasizing custom construction, substantial engineering, distinctive body styles, and multi-purpose commercial vehicles.

• Passenger automobiles

  Kissel four-cylinder automobiles

  Kissel’s four-cylinder range included touring cars, roadsters, and models with detachable coupe or sedan tops. The 1914 catalog included High Efficiency Four and Model 36-Four variants in several passenger configurations. These cars reflected the company’s emphasis on substantial construction, multiple body styles, and custom-oriented presentation rather than a single standardized mass-market design.

• Passenger automobiles

  Kissel six-cylinder automobiles

  The six-cylinder line included Model 42-Six touring cars and roadsters, including deluxe and large-capacity versions. Kissel offered the six-cylinder cars with different seating arrangements, oversized tires on some touring models, and detachable coupe or sedan tops. They represented the company's higher-capacity passenger-car offering during the prewar and early postwar period.

• Sports automobile · 1919

  Gold Bug Speedster

  The Gold Bug was Kissel’s most famous automobile, a sporty speedster produced from 1919 through 1927. Usually configured as a two-passenger car, with some four-passenger versions, it combined distinctive styling with the premium image associated with the Kissel marque. Celebrity ownership helped make it an enduring collector automobile, and surviving examples continue to appear at major concours events.

• Sports automobile · 1927

  White Eagle Speedster

  The White Eagle Speedster was a sporty model introduced as part of Kissel’s late-1920s passenger-car range. It followed the Gold Bug in the company’s effort to retain a distinctive performance-oriented identity while serving customers interested in stylish open automobiles.

• Commercial and military vehicles

  Kissel commercial and military trucks

  Kissel built trucks in capacities ranging from three-quarter-ton vehicles to heavy five- and six-ton models. Its truck business served civilian operators, public authorities, and military customers. During World War I, the company supplied ambulances and heavy service trucks to Serbia and produced three-ton FWD Model B trucks under license for the United States War Department.

• Special-purpose vehicles

  Kissel specialty vehicles

  The company produced bodies and vehicles for specialized uses, including hearses, fire trucks, ambulances, and taxicabs. These products extended Kissel’s manufacturing capabilities beyond private automobiles and allowed it to compete for institutional, municipal, and commercial orders.

• Marine engines

  Kissel outboard motors

  Kissel developed gasoline engines and later manufactured outboard motors through its wider manufacturing operations. In the 1930s, outboard motors became an important remaining business and were supplied in significant quantities to Sears, Roebuck before the business was sold to West Bend Aluminum Company in 1942.

• 1915Anita King transcontinental drive

  United States

  Kissel supported actress Anita King’s transcontinental journey in a Kissel automobile, promoted as the first such trip by a woman driving alone.

  Outcome. The drive generated national attention and linked Kissel with adventurous long-distance motoring.

  Source
• 1910Cactus Derby participation

  United States

  Kissel gained sporting publicity when Harvey Herrick won the Los Angeles-to-Phoenix Cactus Derby in a Kissel automobile.

  Outcome. The victory strengthened the marque’s association with durability and sporting ability.

  Source

• 1942

  Sale of the remaining motor businessM&A

  Background

  After the decline of automobile production, Kissel’s continuing motor activity centered on outboard engines.

  Action taken

  The business was sold to West Bend Aluminum Company.

  Aftermath

  Kissel ceased to operate as an independent motor manufacturer.

  Source

• 1930

  Receivership filingStrategy

  Background

  Kissel faced intense competition, mounting losses, the Great Depression, and pressure from a proposed hostile takeover.

  Action taken

  The company filed for receivership protection in November 1930.

  Aftermath

  The filing marked the effective collapse of Kissel as a major automobile manufacturer.

  Source

• 1927

  Introduction of the White Eagle SpeedsterProduct launch

  Background

  Kissel continued to promote sporty body styles late in the life of its automobile business.

  Action taken

  The company added the White Eagle Speedster to its range.

  Aftermath

  The model formed part of Kissel’s final generation of distinctive passenger automobiles.

  Source

• 1919

  Launch of the Gold Bug speedsterProduct launch

  Background

  Kissel sought to reinforce its premium and sporting identity after World War I.

  Action taken

  The company introduced its speedster, which became widely known as the Gold Bug.

  Aftermath

  The Gold Bug became the company’s best-known model and attracted prominent owners.

  Source

• 1918

  Licensed military-truck productionStrategy

  Background

  World War I created demand for heavy-duty vehicles and military transport.

  Action taken

  Kissel produced three-ton FWD Model B trucks under license from the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company for the United States War Department.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement expanded Kissel’s military-vehicle production during the war.

  Source

1. 1Kissel Motor Car Companyen.wikipedia.org