Hupmobile Model 20

Robert Craig Hupp had worked with Olds, Ford, and Regal before he built his own vehicle in November of 1908. It was a two-seat runabout powered by a four-cylinder water-cooled engine. It was introduced at the February 1909 Detroit Automobile Show where it was displayed as the 'Hupmobile Model 20.' Pricing was set at $750 which made it even less expensive than the Ford Model T. Production began in March at the newly-organized Hupp Motor Car Company.

During its first year of production, Hupmoible produced 1,618 cars. The following year they produced 5,340. Their height-of production was in the late 1920s when they sold 65,862 vehicles in 1928 followed by 50,579 the following year. As the Great Depression began to tighten its grasp on the economy, production fell to 22,183 for 1930 and by 1936, Hupmobile produced just 74 vehicles.

Production of the Model 20 would continue from 1908 through 1913. In 1908, it was available only as a runabout. By 1911, three additional body styles became available including a two-passenger torpedo, a four-passenger touring car, and a four-passenger coupe. In 1912, it was joined by a larger Model 32 which had a wheelbase size of 106 inches and a 32 horsepower engine.

1913 was the final year of production for the Model 20 (now called the Model 20-C) which still retained its 86-inch wheelbase and $750 price tag. It was now only available as a runabout.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2010