1911 Hupmobile

edited by David Barth, 30 January 2009.
Courtesy The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Photos were taken in January 2009.

Car's Sponsors: Allan and Sandra Unrein
Statement from Allan Unrein:
"Since I was a young boy, I have been fascintated with the creativity, craftsmanship, and durability of early automobiles. One of the most amazing feats was undertaken by two Hupp employees and a reporter. This 1911 Hupmobile rolled out of the factory in Detroit and returned eighteen months, 48,600 miles and twenty-six countries later. It was a basic standard open car with no special equipment. They drove across deserts, over mountains, through jungles and swamps. There were no major repairs other than an axle shaft replacement. It has been part of the collection since being given to The Thompson Auto Album by the president of the Hupmobile Company in 1946. Last year [2006], after ninety-three years of dormancy, the Crawford volunteers were able to get it roadworthy. I look forward to driving it again on a portion of its world tour."

In 1911 this car traveled around a world that had no road maps, service stations, or motels. In Japan they broke a rear axle shaft and had to forge a new one in a pottery shop. In China they barely escaped being caught in a revolution. In Rome, the car and its crew were presented to the Pope. However, the most dangerous and arduous part of the journey turned out to be the last leg, from New York to Detroit by way of Canada, where they encountered a week-long raging blizzard. The little Hupp arrived in Detroit on January 24, 1912, with its original crew, having undergone no major repairs other than the axle replacement.

After the tour, the Hupp Corporation continued in the automobile business with reasonable success until the late 1920's. In 1928, Hupp purchased the plant of the defunct Chandler-Cleveland Company in order to produce the automobile bodies. The following year, due to internal power struggles and the stock market crash, sales began to fall. Hupp Corporation continued to produce automobiles until 1940.

Model: D
Body Style: Touring
Original Factory Price: $900
Brake Horsepower: 20
Displacement: 112.0 cubic inches
Bore: 3 1/4 inches
Stroke: 3 3/8 inches
Cylinders: 4, in-line, cast in pairs
Wheelbase: 110 inches
Manufacturer: Hupp Motor Car Corporation
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Cleveland, Ohio
Years of Production: 1908-1940 (in Detroit)
1929-1940 (in Cleveland)
Donor: Ralph Geddes