After her parent's divorce, Amelia, her mother and sister Muriel decided to move to Massachusetts. Muriel went ahead by train to begin summer classes at Harvard and established a home near Boston. Amelia and her mother remained behind in Los Angeles for a time.

This was when Amelia bought her Kissel. She did not like the idea of traveling by train across the country and thought that the car excursion would be second only to her dream of flying across the continent. She often called her car the "Kizzle," but later referred to it as the "Yellow Peril." The name seemed quite apt. Those who knew her said she was quite the speedster around town. Amelia confessed that she learned how to fly before she learned how to drive a "motorcar."

Amelia and her mother left Los Angeles for Boston in May 1924, traveling through Sequoia, Yosemite, Lake Louise and Banff. They drove across Canada and arrived in Boston 6 weeks later.

Considering the condition of roads at that time and the rarity of mechanical help, especially in the more remote areas, this was a daring adventure covering 7,000 miles and covering the car with tourist stickers. Cross-continental travel by automobile was still a novelty, so Amelia and her mother were continually stopped by people and asked many questions.

She found the bright yellow car, unremarkable in Los Angeles, to draw attention across the country. "The fact that my roadster was a cheerful canary color may have caused some of the excitement. It had been modest enough in California, but was a little outspoken for Boston, I found."

The Moffat Modeler's N-Scale Model Train Layout

Will be open to the public in the near future.

The Timme Motorcycle Collection

Come and see some incredible vintage Indian, Honda & other rare motorcycles! *Exhibits subject to change without notice*

Visit our Gallery

Make sure to visit our gallery. Our gallery features various die-cast models, art, and other artifacts related to transportation.