It
was while reading a largely-historical spy novel set in World War II occupied
France, that I became fascinated by descriptions of an unusual automobile
driven by a Nazi officer, and much admired both by his German contemporaries
and the French citizens who had to tolerate his unwelcome presence in their
community. Built by the famous Hispano Suiza engine works, it sported an extra
set of rear axles and a grandly-elegant interior design.
My search for an example of this extraordinary
six-wheel piece of automotive history led to the Forney Transportation museum
in Denver, Colorado, where – I learned – a 1923 Hispano Suiza Model H6A
Victoria Town Car resided at the very center of their world-class display of
some of the most honored and rare automobiles, bicycles, motor cycles, stage
coaches and trains.
The beautifully-restored behemoth I
found waiting for me there is believed to have been built in France for King
George II of Greece who didn’t remain “King” long enough to take delivery, the
car eventually finding its way to America where Hollywood big wig D.W .Griffith
bought it for $35,000, just in time to give it a starring role in “My Lips Betray” in 1934.
End
of the search: The 1923 Hispano Suiza
H6A “Victoria” Town Car at Denver’s Forny Transportation Museum.
Almost as exciting as meeting up
with the target of my year-long quest was to find another historic gem
positioned right next to it: this time, the 1923 chrome yellow Kissel Speedster
owned , “adored” and driven by aviatrix Amelia Earhart, and still a real
head-turner today, with its flashy paint job, wire wheels, cutaway doors and
“outrigger” side seats. After her
parents’ divorce, and at a low point in her own life, Amelia decided in 1924 to
take her mother with her to join her Boston sister. Amelia hated trains, and
decided to challenge the continent’s primitive road system, saddling up her
bright yellow “Kizzi” for what turned out to be a 7,000-mile journey from Los
Angeles up and across Canada’s poorly-charted vastness; a six week adventure
for a driver who had learned to fly before ever getting behind the wheel of a
car. (Amelia was never an accomplished
pilot, and all we know about her road-savvy is that “she drove very fast”, even
in Hollywood.)
The Kissel line of automobiles
deserves more than a mere mention, and among car aficionados, it remains a
standout. Louis Kissel and his four sons built their first car in their
Hartford, Wisconsin shop in 1907, entirely from components of their own design
and manufacture. For the next 20 years, their home-grown engineering genius
produced some of America’s most advanced and sought-after road machines. Among
the fast-and-famous who drove Kissels – in addition to Amelia – were actor
Douglas Fairbanks, Fatty Arbuckle, fighter Jack Dempsey, and other well-knowns
such as Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford, Al Jolson, Rudy Vallee and William S. Hart.
There are at least three of these timeless beauties at Forney. Alas, a business
deal gone sour led to bankruptcy in 1927, just as the country was sliding into
deep depression.
Amelia Earhart’s 1923 Kissel “Goldbug” Speedster
was revered by its owner as her “Yellow Peril".
If I could choose one other Forney “beauty”
to rhapsodize about, it would be their l934 Pierce Arrow “Fastback” in gleaming
red with black trim, the most prized (and expensive) American showpiece of its
time, with handcrafted coachwork whose seductive curves claimed to have
eliminated every “straight line”. (My own father – otherwise a very cool,
almost stoic kind of guy could wax poetic when calling my attention to a
passing Pierce Arrow.)
At
a time when nearly 75 car manufacturers competed, the Pierce Arrow stood
supreme in the eyes of many.
Al Cooper Photos
Needless to say, my stroll among the
gleaming automotive legacy at Denver’s Forney Transportation Museum was a
journey down memory lane.
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