Chassis No. 231911
Paul Helms moved his family from New York to Southern California in 1926, and on 2 March 1931, opened Helms Bakery at the corner of Venice and Washington in Los Angeles. The following year Helms was named official baker of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, its signature ''Olympic Bread'' becoming a regional staple for decades. Helms goods were never sold in grocery stores; they reached customers from San Diego to Fresno aboard a fleet of distinctive yellow-and-blue vans crewed by ''Helmsmen'' in white shirts, chinos, neckties, and caps, their pie-tin whistles announcing each block's fresh bread.
Those vans came from Twin Coach, founded by brothers Frank and William Fageol in Kent, Ohio, alongside their twin-engine city buses. The Twin Coach delivery truck used a patented drop-down center frame section for easy entry and exit, and was designed to be driven seated or standing. A single left pedal operated as both clutch and brake, freeing the driver's right foot for the throttle and his hands for the wheel. In 1936 the Fageols sold the delivery division to Divco of Detroit, and the rectangular vans became known as Divco-Twins. Helms Bakery was the largest single buyer of the type.
This 1936 Divco-Twin Coach is one of 148 flat-nosed delivery vans built for Helms during the first year of the Divco-Twin partnership. Power comes from a Hercules inline-four rated at 37.5 horsepower, paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Restored in its original Helms livery of yellow and blue with period-correct “Helms Bakeries” graphics, the van retains its custom oak interior cabinetry by Gordon Gain, the original pie-tin whistle, and the distinctive bicycle seat that gave the driver a semi-standing posture between stops. A charming and nicely restored example of a Los Angeles icon, it is ideal for weekend gatherings, parades, and other appearances as a rolling piece of mid-century Americana.
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- VIN Code231911
