1904 Pope-Tribune Model II Runabout

The Pope-Tribune was the smallest and least-costly automobile in the Colonel Albert Pope empire. They were manufactured in a former bicycle factory at Hagerstown, Maryland, and were fitted with many advanced and high-quality features including a modern shaft drive and a sliding-gear transmission. The conventional setup for this period used a chain drive and a planetary transmission.

Over the years, the Pope-Tribune evolved, grew, and became more powerful. Unfortunately, it priced and sized itself out of its original market. Sales fizzled and were out of production by 1908.

This particular example is a Pope-Tribune 6HP Twin-Cylinder Runabout that has a 2-speed sliding-gear transmission, rear differential brake, and a semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension.

Don C. Boulton, an enthusiast of the Pope automobile, gathered as many examples from as many of the Colonel's factories as possible. When he acquired this example, it was just a chassis and engine. A restoration soon followed. The completed vehicle was given a pale green exterior with a dark green chassis and moldings, tufted black leather upholstery, and a black victoria top. The bodywork had been created by Art Bergstrom and copied from an original 1904 Pope-Tribune that was in The Henry Ford museum. Accessories include Neverout lamps, an 'Ever-Ready', clock, and a combination speedometer/odometer.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019