Hupmobile History

Robert C. Hupp's career in the automobile industry included time with Olds Motor Works (1902-1903), Ford Motor Co. (1906-1907) and Regal Motor Car Co. (1907-08), before striking out on his own in 1908.

The Hupp Motor Car Co. was organized on November 8, 1908, in a rented factory at 345 Bellevue Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. Construction of a prototype Hupmobile Runabout was completed and first shown at the Detroit Automobile Show on February 15, 1909.

At the Detroit Automobile Show, prospective buyers were asked to pay an advanced payment of fifty dollars with each order. The car was a little 2-passenger runabout designated the Model 20. It had a water-cooled 4-cylinder 4-stroke engine rated at 16.9 horsepower, the transmission was a 2-speed sliding-gear type, and a rectangular 11-gallon gas tank was mounted behind the seats, all mounted on an 86-inch wheelbase. The cost was $750.00 F.O.B. Detroit. Accessories included a top, glass windscreen, trunk rack, gas headlamps and a Prest-O-Lite tank, at extra cost.

Production of the Model 20 began in March 1909 and a little over 1,600 cars were produced that year. The demand for the Model 20 was high enough that, in late 1909, the Hupp Motor Car Co. moved to larger facilities at Jefferson & Concord where the production in 1910 was increased to 5,340. Many Hupmobiles were exported overseas (200 units in 1910 were sent to New Zealand). Cost in 1909-1910 for a Model 20 Runabout was $750 F.O.B. Detroit.

The first body style of the Model 20 was the Runabout (1909), the next year the Runabout, 3-passenger enclosed Coupe and the Torpedo body styles were available. In 1911 and 1912, the Runabout, Torpedo, 4-passenger Touring, Utility and Delivery Wagon styles were available. There were a total of 14,500 Model 20 Hupmobiles made from 1909-1912.

To help prove the reliability and dependability of the Model 20 Hupmobile, a 4-passenger touring car began an around-the-world trip on November 10, 1910. The car traveled through 26 different countries (14 of which had never seen an automobile), covered 48,600 land miles plus 28,000 shipboard miles, and ended in Detroit on January 24, 1912.

In 2003, a book was written about this trip. The book: Three Men in a Hupp, Around the World by Automobile, 1910-1912, written by James A. Ward, was published by Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.
Note: The car that made this trip is on display at the Crawford Car-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

While the car was on its record-setting travels, Robert C. Hupp left the Hupp Motor Car Co. in September 1911, and began other car companies, the Hupp-Yeats (1911-1919) electric car, R.C.H. (1912-1915), Monarch Car Co. (1913-1916) and the Emerson Car Co. (1917); none were very successful.

In 1912, Hupmobile introduced a second line of cars designated the Model H (which is also referred to as the Model 32). The Model 32 would replace the Model 20 and continue in production until 1915. It was replaced when the Model K began production. 1916 saw the introduction of the Model N, which continued for another year before being discontinued. On 1916 roads, a Hupmobile Model N conducted a trip to all 48 state capitals to again prove its reliability. The trip began in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1916, and ended a little over four months later on January 7, 1917, covering 18,430 miles.

Production of the Model R began in October 1917 and would continue, with many improvements, through 1925 when it was discontinued.

During 1925, Hupp Motor Car Co. introduced the new Series E cars with an eight-cylinder in-line L-head, 60-Horsepower engine. In 1926 the Series E was joined by the new Series A automobiles with a six-cylinder, L-head, 50-horsepower engine. The Series E and A were offered in touring, sedan, coupes (with or without rumble seats) and roadsters. Both series would remain in production through 1928, when the Series E was replaced with the Model M.

1930 saw changes in design, or improvements, which caused new designations to be assigned to the automobiles. The six-cylinder cars were now designated the Model S while the eight-cylinder models were being produced as Models C, H and U. In 1931 Hupp added another eight-cylinder model, designated as the Model L, to the lineup while continuing the production of the 1930 line of cars.

The 1932 Hupmobiles saw more improvements and different model designations. The designations now gave information about the car (for example, S-214). The letter (S) designated the engine type, the first number (2) indicated the model year, and the last two numbers (14) indicated the wheelbase (114”). The example car is a six-cylinder engine in a 1932 model with a 116-inch wheelbase. Letters S and B were used for six-cylinder engines, and letters L, C, F, H and U designated an eight-cylinder engine. Note: This method of model identification continued as long as the Hupp Motor Car Co. made both types of engines, through 1939. During the summer of 1932, Hupp Motor Car Co. entered the Hupp Comet, driven by race car driver Russell Snowberger, and finished in a respectful 5th place.

The following year, 1933, only five series were available: B-316 (six), K-321 (six), KK-321A (six), F-322 (eight) and I-326 (eight). In 1934 some models were still available and new models introduced. The new designations were W-417, J-421 (both six-cylinder engines), while T-427 was an eight-cylinder. The Series W, J and T were Hupmobile's entry into the aerodynamic body styles.

The year is now 1935; two more aerodynamic body styles are introduced: D-518 (6) and O-521 (8), available in a sedan, coupe or Victoria models. Models K, KK, F and I were discontinued.

In 1936, Models D-618, G-618 (6), N-621 (8) and O-621 (8) were available in sedans or business coupes. Models G and N were new models for this year.

Late in 1936, and during 1937, Hupp Motor Car Co had a labor dispute with its employees and virtually no automobiles were produced for 1937. However, some 1936 Model G and Model N cars were assembled, to use up parts, and sold as 1937 models. With the end of the labor dispute in late 1937, Hupp reentered automobile manufacturing with two new models for 1938, the E-822 (6), ES-822 (6) and H-825 (8), available in deluxe or standard sedans. The E, ES and H were continued into 1939 along with the introduction of the Model R-915 (6), also known as the Skylark.

The year 1940 saw only the Skylark available. During the second week of July 1940, the last Hupmobile Skylark was built. On November 1, 1940, Hupp Motor Car Co. began reorganization under bankruptcy. Its future endeavors would not include the manufacturing of automobiles. Some of the last Skylarks were delivered to the dealers in 1941 and sold as 1941 models.

During the years of automobile manufacturing, Hupp Motor Car Co. went through some trying and turbulent times with the internal make-up of the company executives. These squabbles, accusations, charges and resulting trials had a negative effect on the Hupmobile name, and the public acceptance of the car began to turn. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Great Depression had many prospective new car buyers holding onto what little money they had and not purchasing any high-cost items. When the Depression began to subside, Hupp Motor Car Co. was in debt and began the decline to extinction, which ended in 1940.

Decline:

During World War II, Hupp Company made parts for the US Government war effort. After the end of the war, the company began making parts for other automobile manufacturing companies.

In 1946, Hupp changed its name to Hupp Corporation and confined to machining and stamping operations, along with changing the company headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio. Then, in 1955, it became part of Gibson and Easy home appliances, making parts for commercial heating and cooling equipment, conveyors and other industrial equipment. In 1967, Hupp became a division of White Consolidated Industries Inc., supplying parts for their products. In the late 1990s, White Industries dropped the Hupp name from its list of subsidiaries, ending almost a century of company operations.

For a more in-depth understanding of the Hupmobile and those who created, assembled, sold and drove these great automobiles, read the book The Hupmobile Story From Beginning to End (2d printing) by Bill Cuthbert (2004), M.T. Publishing Co, Evansville, Illinois.