1913 Pope-Hartford Model 29

Col. Albert Pope built a very successful bicycle empire atop the bike craze of the late 1800s, and by the close of the decade, he had consolidated over 40 bicycle manufacturers into his American Bicycle Company. This strong financial footing and a skillful workforce allowed Pope to easily transition into the horseless carriage business. Pope began in the 1890s with the Columbia automobile, and his early productions focused on electrical power. Like he had done with bicycles, Pope soon established an automobile empire that included numerous brands including Pope-Tribune, Pope-Toledo, Pope-Robinson, Pope-Waverley and Pope-Hartford. The latter would be the only brand that Pope built in the city of the company's headquarters in Hartford, Ct.

Pope-Hartford commenced with automobile production in 1904, initially with a single-cylinder model, and by 1906, it had added a four-cylinder model to its roster. The four-cylinder motor would help establish the brands reputation, highlighted by its sound engineering and reliability. These attributes were demonstrated when a Pope-Hartford won the San Francisco 'free for all' in 1909 with a 40hp model. The event celebrated the 300th anniversary of Don Gaspar de Portola's discovery of the bay. The success at this event gave name to the body style Pope is most famous for the 'Portola Roadster'.

A Pope contested the 1913 Indianapolis 500 and finished sixth overall. It was entered by Frank Fox, a local competitor, and driven by Howdy Wilcox.

1913 Pope-Hartford
The Pope-Hartford Company offered three different models in 1913 - a 40 horsepower Model 31, a 50 horsepower Model 33, and a 60 horsepower Model 29. The latter was built in six different body styles including a Limousine, Tourer, Landaulet, Phaeton, Berline, and a Roadster. The 471 cubic-inch, pushrod-operated overhead-valve six-cylinder engine had each of its banks case in pairs and bolted to a two-piece aluminum crankcase. The transmission was a four-speed manual.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2025