1935 Hoffman X-8 Prototype

Roscoe C. (Rod) Hoffman graduated from Purdue University in 1911 with a degree in mechanical engineering. In 1934, he started a company called Hoffman Motor Developments based in Detroit, Michigan. He was an independent engineer who was well-connected in the automobile industry. His resume may have included work for GM, Studebaker, and Packard. At around 47, he began work on a special project - a car now called the Hoffman X-8.

The project's genesis is believed to have been with French automakers Mathis, Hoffman, and Henry Ford. They worked together to develop an engine with 'X' configuration intended for the European market. A prototype was constructed in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Hoffman X-8 was given a 115-inch wheelbase and weighed around 3100 lbs. It had an all-steel unitized body and frame with honeycomb floor perimeter strengthening members. Up front are a tubular front axle, front transverse leaf springs, front trailing arms, and tube shocks. In the back were fully independent half shafts with Cardan joints at each end, plus longitudinal leaf springs and trailing arms.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2012