Engine - 338 cubic-inch L-head inline-6
Transmission - 3-speed manual
Horsepower - 61 at 2,800 rpm
Production - Fewer than 100 produced in 1920

Louis Kissel founded the Kissel Motor Car Company in 1906 in Hartford, Wisconsin with a focus on producing high-quality automobiles, trucks, and emergency vehicles. Following the end of World War I, the company seized upon a lucrative market opportunity for the approaching decade with a more audacious car. In 1919, they introduced the highly successful “Gold Bug” Speedster which quickly became their flagship model. The compact two-seat roadster, equipped with additional seats that slide out from the sides, catered to the adventurous and daring individual. One Gold Bug owner who embodied this spirit was Amelia Earhart, who ventured up the West Coast through Washington State, eastward through Banff, Canada, and down through Chicago to Boston. The Kissel’s dynamic performance earned it the reputation of being an early “sports car.”

This 1920 Kissel Model 6-45 Gold Bug Speedster features a large six-cylinder engine generating 61 horsepower, allowing it to reach an impressive 70 mph. Ownership of this example has been traced back to 1921, when it was purchased by Charles T. Bent in Rhode Island, and remained with the Bent family for 37 years. The vehicle was later added to Harrah’s Automobile Collection after having been spotted at a VMCCA meeting in Massachusetts. After several ownership changes culminating with Alfred Koller (a Swiss diplomat residing in Washington, D.C.) Mr. Koller commissioned Penn Dutch in York, Pennsylvania, to perform a comprehensive restoration of the Kissel. Following this restoration, the vehicle was honored with the AACA First Junior and Senior awards. The Gold Bug then journeyed to Europe, where it joined the collection of Tom Harrington, a renowned collector in France, before being repatriated to the United States.

Following the production of around 35,000 automobiles, Kissel ceased operations in 1930. Today only a handful of Kissels have been accounted for, making this 6-45 Gold Bug Speedster an extremely rare piece of America’s automotive history.