Yeah, Hupp! Near-Forgotten Hupmobile's Really Gonna Punch You Out

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We figure if Radio Birdman's "New Race" is good enough for Toyota to use in Corolla commercials on Spanish-language TV, it's good enough for a meager Jalopnik headline. We've been thinking about the poor, proud Hupmobile a lot lately for some reason, so we thought that we'd offer a little love here on the august pages of Tha Jalop. What? It's September already? Rats. Wake us when it ends. (Sorry, Billie.) For those of you born in the last 25 years, the Hupmobile stands alongside REO, Locomobile, Nash, LaSalle and Buick as an automotive brand you're only peripherally aware of, if at all. It's time to get educated. Click on for some science, brothers and sisters.

Founded by thee Robert C. Hupp in Detroit back in aught-eight, Hupmobiles were designed to be cars the working man could afford. Designed for reliability rather than face-melting performance (did face-melting performance exist back then?), Detroit's first cop car was a Hupmobile, the Army used them as field ambulances during the Great War, and in 1932, one of Hupp's mobiles took 5th at the Indy 500. Overshadowed today by the iconic Fords of the period, Hupp nevertheless managed to sell half a million cars by the time the company closed its doors on the eve of WWII. So tonight, after a hard day at work hiding your blog obsession from your boss, raise a glass to the mighty Hupmobile, won't you? It's the least you could do for a car that gave so much to so many.

Hupmobile FAQ [Hupmobile Club]

Related:
Grading the Retro: Six Cars Ripe For Revival [Internal]