Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-02-03 | Page 36 | Kisselkar Breaks Mount Wilson Record; Makes Run in 27 Minutes, 17 2-5 Seconds

KisselKar Breaks Mount Wilson Record; Makes Run in 27 Minutes, 17 2-5 Seconds i Big Double Six Sets Fast Time for Mountain Climb. . I Whirling up the tortuous nine-a nd-one-eihths-mile Mount Wilson grade in minutes,- 17 2- seconds, a KisselKar double dou-ble six, driven .by Don Johnston of the Los Angeles -Vac! fie KisselKar branch, clipped nearly two minutes from the record, rec-ord, wiiich has stood unchallenged for two yeari and more. Billy Carle-on drove his little '.Maxw.-Il u the summit in 23 minutes, 1 second, in l!'lti and his record rec-ord had never been chal!Lng'.-d until last week. The feat of the big Kissel is all the more astounding whei it is appreciated that the car is a seven-passenger stock mod- 1 with a wheel-base of over 110 i lie; ics, and every inch above the bio mark means just that much more t rouble rou-ble getting around the several hundred sharp turns of the twisted road. The record was triad e two weeks ago yesterday under rodn ions wiiich were very favorable. While the official timers listened over the telephone from the hotel at the summit; the big twelve -cylinder en r wa s sent away before most people were up. With a roar like a Kansas tornado tor-nado the big motor shot the car out of si'-'ht into the canyon almost before the word go had died from the starter's lips. Up the long grade from the bridge thu big car shot like a bullet, while t!o driver took the sharp turns with an ease which spoke volumes for bis own ability to guide and that of the car to respond to the slightest touch. A mile from the bottom he was lost to sight of those who had started him and from that moment until he das lied around the corner of the hotel, some twenty minutes later, the only way the anxious watchers could keep track of the climbing car was by the intermittent roar of the exhaust as the" machine dashed in and out through the mountain gulleys. iTVT EV speed demon with all weather top and Miss Clarine Seymore. Below, car with Don Johnston at wheel. j P i-; " " , ; j. v 1 C St. 1 s k i I H i S x it p , " iv : , w - o-.yv ''id , T?i:ipt-?iM 4tt$K x - ft'S I iUanag'er W. H. White of the Inter-When Inter-When the bs machine finally rounded the sharp turn by the hotel and came to a stop almost on the front porch, a mighty cheer burst from the big- gathering gather-ing of motor Tans who were clusered at the summit to welcome the fast car and driver. A twisted and torn fender 1 told mutely of a close call on the way up. Mountain Motor Car company, local KisselKar Kis-selKar distributors, asserts that the car was stock in every particular, even having hav-ing windshield and carrying lop and spare tire. The driver, Johnston, is foreman of the Kissel shops in Los Angeles and his mechanic was Eddie Baker, one of the employees. The car has been in service over a year, coming from the factory with an "all-year" "all-year" top, and, so equipped, it has been driven on many long ( trips. In the nine, and one-eighth miles the car climbed from an altitude of 1250 feet to 5SS6, or a rise of 4736 feet. It was checked out at the bottom by Fred Wagner Wag-ner and in at the top by W. O. Matthies and Fred Ross. Stop watches were used, that the time would be accurately kept to the fraction of a second. It was one of the wildest drives ever made by a touring car, and rocks were grazed on the inside of the turns and wheels skidded vJthin a fraction of an inch from the outside in many instances. On one turn a large rock was torn loose from the side of the mountain by the running board. "We are glad to add the Mount Wilson record to that of Mount Diablo," said Mr. White yesterday. "The Kissel has climbed thirty-six feet nearer the summit of Mount Diablo than any other car, having hav-ing increased its own mark, which was the record on this famous climb twice, and the mark has now been lMaced so high it will probably remain the record for many years."