1924 Hupmobile Series R Special Roadster

Robert Craig Hupp was born on June 2nd, 1887, in Grand Rapids, MI. In 1902, Robert began working for Olds Motors. In 1906 he joined Ford Motor Company where he gained knowledge in many automotive areas. In 1908 he left Ford. With his brother Louis, he began seeking financial backing, rented a factory at 345 Bellevue Avenue in Detroit, and began creating a demo vehicle. By 1909, the Hupmobile was created. It was first shown to the public at the Detroit Auto Show. The vehicle was a two-seater roadster with an 86-inch wheelbase. The $750 sticker price included the 17-horsepower four-cylinder engine and sliding gear transmission. Larger cars followed by 1912, and in 1916 the seven-passenger Model N sat atop a 134-inch wheelbase. The Hupp Motor Car Company would return to its roots in the post-WWI era with the small, light Series R, which would be its mainstay into the mid-1920s.

In its introductory year, over 1500 examples were produced. In 1910, production increased by more than 5000. Hupp understood the need to continue to invest in machinery, technology, and factories. He began investing heavily, to the point that his financial backers became nervous. They did not agree that the company should be overextended. This issue escalated to the point that in 1911, Robert Hupp sold his stock in the Hupp Motor Car Company and began pursuing another automobile production venture. A court order by the purchasers of the stock prevented Robert and Louis from using the Hupp name on any new gasoline automobile.

This 1924 Hupmobile Series R Special Roadster is powered by a four-cylinder L-head engine that displaces 182.5 cubic inches and produces 37.5 horsepower. There are a three-speed manual gearbox and two-wheel mechanical drum brakes. It has a wheelbase size of just 115 inches. It has received a cosmetic restoration in the past but is largely original. It is painted in dark green paint with black fenders. It is equipped with a Hupmobile script MotoMeter, rear-mounted spare, and five whitewall tires.

In 2008 this Series R Special Roadster was brought to RM Auctions 'Vintage Motor Cars of Meadow Brook' where it was estimated to sell for $25,000-$35,000 and offered without reserve. It was the final vehicle of the auction to be offered for sale and as the gavel fell for the third and final time, the lot had been sold for $16,500 including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2008