1922 Hupmobile Roadster Series R
edited by David Barth, 10 January 2009.
Courtesy The Forney Museum of Transportation at 4303 Brighton Blvd., Denver,
Colorado. Photos were taken in January 2009.
By 1908, Robert Craig Hupp's career in the automotive industry included jobs with Olds, Ford, and Regal. In that
year, he formed the Hupp Motor Car Company in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1911, Robert C. Hupp left his company following a dispute with J. Walter Drake, the president, and Charles Hastings.
As a result, Robert Hupp formed several car ventures including R.C.H. (Robert Craig Hupp), Hupp-Yeats Electric, Monarch,
and Emerson. Meanwhile, the Hupmobile enjoyed continued success.
The Series R was introduced in 1917 and remained through 1924. The 1922 Roadster was a sporty two-seater with a popular
rumble seat for another couple. The roadster had a two-tone finish, full back support in the rumble seat, and a detachable
California khaki top with boot and natural wood bows. It also had a four-cylinder engine producing 35 hp.
In November of 1928, Hupp bought Chandler-Cleveland Motors Corporation of Ohio for its manufacturing
facilities.
In 1932, to improve sales, DuBois Young, the president, hired industrical designer Raymond Loewy to dress up the
Hupmobile. The designed the "form-fitting" fenders, remembered as the "cycle-fendered" Hupps, and the chrome-plated
wheel discs. Loewy also designed the Aerodynamic Hupmobiles in 1934.
