1911 RCH Four Roadster

The R.C.H. Company was introduced in August 1911. They produced small vehicles that were powered by a four-cylinder, 22 hp engine and were priced at under $1,000. Production would continue until 1915. The acronym R.C.H. represented 'Robert C. Hupp' and officially had no connection with the Hupp Motor Car Company. This was because Robert Hupp had left the Hupp Motor Company due to a disagreement with the board of directors, and was court-ordered not to build vehicles with his name. The Hupp Motor Company feared that a lesser-priced vehicle with a similar name to theirs would damage the reputation of their company.

During the first year of production, seven thousand R.C.H vehicles were sold. Over 15,000 examples were sold the following year. The business had expanded so quickly, that it was difficult to cope with the success. In January of 1913, Hupp gave J.F. Hartz the presidency of the company, while Hupp took the vice-president position.

Even with strong sales, the company fell into receivership on July 25th of 1913. In an attempt to meet the demand, quality suffered. After just a few short years, the decision was made to cease the production of vehicles.

This R.C.H. English-style Roadster is powered by a 165.9 cubic-inch L-head four-cylinder engine delivering 22 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission and two-wheel mechanical brakes. In 1972, it was an AACA National Award winner and the recipient of a VMCCA award.

In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $20,000-$25,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $24,200 including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2010