Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-02-20
WINTER HATH NO
TERROR TO AUTOIST
Use Of Autos is No Longer Confined
to the Warm Months Of
Summer.
KIssEL TELLS OF PROGRESS

The most remarkable fact in connec-
tlun with the recent evolution OF the
automobile is the marvellOusly increas-
ing demand for winter cars" said George
A. Kissel, president. Kissei Motor Car
company.
Until year or two ago, the use Of
motor cars was largely restricted to
warm weather Most people bought
them for pleasure rather than utility.
and Immediately Jack Frost waved his
icy hand, they promptly garaged them
and allowed them TO rust until nature
turned green sgsin
The demand started with those who
felt that an Investment in two cars
open and closed-was worth 10 them the
expenditure involved, Then came closed
bod es to be interchanged on the same
chassis with open touring or roadster
bodies. This reduced somewhat the cost
Of inter-season driving, but the initial in
vestment and expense OF changing bodies
twice a year was still greater than most
people cared to assume.
The idea Of a simple, demountable top
that could be handled by two or three
ineNpcrt men, a top so worked out that
II would not suffer in looks when COM
pared TO fun closed body, occurred TO
me three years ago. Unfortunately the
type Of touring car then prevailing did
not lend itself readily to the plan.
The accepted open car had four doors
ana two compartments, the driver and
his companion sitting absolutely apart
from those in the rear Of the tonneau.
To put top en- such car meant a
make-shift appearance not at all accept
able to persons OF taste and refinement
POpuIariEes Open Car.
Plainly the thing to do was to first
populariEe a new type OF open car and
this We set out 10 do. Our body depart
ment designed a touring car with divided
front seats and only two entrance doors
the latter being very wide and located on
either side in the rear We built two
sample models and quietly introduced
them at the New York and Chicago
shnws in 1914
The new touring car became lmmedi-
stely popular, orders for them at the
shows being many that we decided t9
make the model standard. This we did
in the early spring of 1914 and it was
the copspleuously successful novelty OF
that season. The divided front seat was
soon adopted by nearly all leading manu-
fscturefs. gA
The way was then clear 10 carry out
our plans for the All-Yesr car that we
had had so long in mind We announces
the AH-Ysar car in August, 1914. and
there was never from the start the slight
est doubt of Ats acceptance. The inter.
est was everywhere. east. west, north
and south. In fact it was so much greater
than We had anticipated that we found
It necessary to forthwith increase the
capacity Of our body factory.
Our All-Year car was exhibited at
the national shows for the first time last
year and was then stlll without competi-
ton. But the handwriting was on the
wall. Other makers read it plainly and
this year witnessed a score or more de-
mountahls tops of various kinds on the
The triumph OF the two-in-one con-
vertible car ~ one of the greatest boons
to the motor car industry in it's whole
history. IT has boosted winter sales to
proportions never before thought possible.
And to the people It has brought the ad-
Vantage Of winter driving at little more
expense than that involved in the owner
ship Of an open car alone"