"WHAAAT MOM? I CAN'T HEAR YOU........"
Probably work better to text
Sent from my iPhone
I love my car phone:
I wonder if this might be the same car? The page below is scanned from the 1912 KisselKar catalog and shows the winner from a recent Los Angeles to Phoenix road race.
There are a few differences — the catalog does not show any numbers and the telephone photo has no headlights. Numbers could have been painted out or added later and lights could have been removed. Certainly, lights would have been required for the LA to Phoenix race, almost half of which was run in darkness.
Harder to change stuff appears to be identical: 12-spoke front wheels, front axle dip, frame tie bar, axle rebound straps, steering spider. My '12 Kisselkar 50HP has the same three-rivet pattern on the telephone car spring horns.
It is hard to tell about the radiator, other than the shape being generally the same (and much the same as many, many cars of the period). The telephone car appears to have a stone guard in front of the core and carrying the number 11.
The telephone car caption references a Phoenix race date of Nov 06/11 — this would be rather late for inclusion in the 1912 KisselKar catalog considering the 1912 model year started in August '11, although this may reflect a later revision and printing.
Comments?
Jim Grundy has an early National he tried to keep running in the 1998 Greatrace.
Old Bold Pilots don't use telephones - they use WalkieTalkies.
Guy called and wanted to know if I planned to vote for Coolidge, Davis or LaFollette....
It's definetly not the same car as National's had a very distinct widows peak in the center radiator shell and your text calls it a Kissel.
Howard Dennis
Thanks Howard — I got so excited by that photo and mention of Phoenix, I didn't read the first part of the caption carefully. National. Duh.
I have to wonder about being able to hear the phone on the postcard. It appears that the car is running, and look at the amount if exhaust that is blowing by the passengers feet. I bet that car was loud!
Herb