“Kissel”

“Kissel”. . The Kissel Motor Car Company was located across the river from this site. Kissel manufactured vehicles here for 25 years, from 1906 until 1931. Passenger cars, trucks, ambulances, funeral cars, taxicabs, and fire trucks were among the varied types. In 1918 Kissel introduced a line of low, graceful, sporty cars which were style leaders for years. The Kissel “Gold Bug” and White Eagle Speedster models achieved international acclaim and brought many celebrity purchasers to Hartford. The famous design of these cars has a lasting beauty and today they are prized collector’s items., The Kissel family’s own steam car inspired two brothers, George and William, to build a car of their own in 1905 that was powered by a gasoline engine. On June 6, 1906, they acquired a state charter and began manufacturing with only $15,000 cash. By 1922 they grew to an enterprise worth over $3 million. During Kissel’s peak year, the company built some 4,000 units. The company was a casualty of the Great Depression in 1931 as an automobile producer, but was reorganized and manufactured a variety of products including government material during World War II.