My Grandfather’s Kissel (1/30/2011)

The Kissel Kars were built in Hartford, WI from 1906 to 1930. I know the make because my Grandfather had one that he restored. His was a 1923 6 cylinder phaeton that he restored in 1957-1958. I remember the car as a youngster in the early 60’s when I visited my grandparents in Knowlton, Quebec, Canada. My grandfather found one in Surry, Maine. It belonged to a widow and she offered to give it to my grandfather when he approached her about it. He insisted on giving her $50 for it. He restored in 1957/1958 as I have a picture of it pre restoration in 1957 and a picture of it at a car show in the fall of 1958.

In order to have the proper frame of reference for the story let me back up and give some of my grandfather’s history. His name was Charlie Munn and he was an auto mechanic. He was born in WI which may be the reason he was interested in Kissels. He spent part of his youth in Jay, Maine. Eventually he made his way to MA where he for worked 30 years for Broadway Chevrolet in Somerville, MA and retired as Service Manager. He lived in Reading, MA with his wife and two daughters, the oldest daughter Lillian is my mother. After retirement my grandparents semi-retired to Canada where they were caretakers for a handicapped children’s home. I remember visiting them when I was about 5 years old. I have a picture of me when I was up there driving their Cub Cadet tractor. In the late 60’s they fully retired and bought a travel trailer and started traveling cross country. This necessitated selling the Kissel in 1967. My Aunt Helen and family lived in San Jose, CA and my mother and our family lived in Augusta, ME. My grandparents spent several years traveling to California for the winter and to Maine for the summer. They rig they wound up with was a 67 International Travelall pulling an Airstream trailer. One other detail is that as a young teenager I used a Raleigh Sports 3 speed bike that my grandfather loaned me.

The next part of the story has a lot to do with Owl’s Head Transportation Museum. I’ve been a volunteer there for a few years now. One year at the fall auction they had a few Raleigh bicycles that I bought. Another year they had a 1967 Airstream trailer that I bought. At one of the show I talked to someone with a Travelall that later called me and I almost bought that. All of this stuff relates to the things that my grandfather had. I’ve also begun to collect Cub Cadet tractors and will be looking for a model 100 to match the one I drove in Canada.

Now we can proceed with the story of the Kissel – remember the Kissel (Arlo Guthrie reference). I had become interested in finding the whereabouts of the old Kissel. In the fall of 1999 I contacted the Hartford Heritage Museum, home of the Kissel Kar Klub, to see if I could get a list of 1923 Kissel owners. They were unable to help me. The trail grew cold until the fall of 2003. Bob Kinghorn, one of my fellow volunteers at OHTM brought in a poster from 1971 Automobile Quarterly. It was of a 1923 Kissel 6 cylinder phaeton. On one corner it said “from the Delyle G. Beyer collection”. Armed with this information I searched the ‘net. I found a Delyle G Beyer memorial scholarship at the Milwaukee School of Engineering from the Beyer Construction Company. I searched for the company and found one located in Wisconsin. Their website had a mail link for George Beyer – president. I e-mailed him and this is his response “Yes, indeed, Delyle G. Beyer is my father, and that red Kissel is his.
He has owned it since about that time, and I have a vague recollection that the vehicle did come from Canada. The Kissel is presently displayed at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford, Wisconsin, where the
Kissel manufacturing plant was located. The museum web site is: www.explorewisconsin.com/wisconsinautomotivemuseum/.

My dad did a complete engine and mechanical rebuild on the car after he bought it and drove it extensively. I remember in particular a "reliability tour" around our state, some sort of competition that the car (and driver) competed against other old cars on a trip of 500 or 600 miles. We won! I was starting the fourth grade at the time, so this must have been in the summer of 1968. New upholstery and a new top was put on some time ago, maybe 15 years ago by now. The black and red paint is still the same as when he got it. (Your grandfather's work?) If you want to know more about the car, it would be best to talk to my father. He winters in Tucson, Arizona, but returns to Hartford in the spring. I could provide his phone number in Arizona if you'd like, but give me a chance to tell you may be calling first. I will be visiting him next week for Christmas, so I could mention this contact to him then, if not before.”

I called Delyle and he confirmed that he bought the car in Quebec in 1967. The following summer I wrote a letter to him and he confirmed that he did indeed buy the car from my grandfather. In July of 2004 I was able to visit the car in the museum and met George and Delyle.

Other interesting coincidences (trivia):

I’m named after my grandfather

Bob Kinghorn, who showed me the poster, had a 1928 Pontiac Landau Coupe for his first car. I brought him an ad for one for sale in Delaware. He called the owner and found it to be the very same car.

The Kissel was sold in 67, the Travelall is a 67, and my Airstream trailer is a 67.

My cousin believes she located the same Travelall. I’d sure like to buy it.

My birthday is 11/3/58, My grandparents PO box in Quebec was 358, my PO box in Waldoboro was 358.

On to Page 2