The Hupp Motor Company was founded in 1908 by two brothers Robert and Louis Hupp. Production started in 1909 and in 1912, Hupp became a pioneer in the use of all-steel bodies. The company expanded through the twenties, but sales dropped late in the decade due to a shift to larger, more expensive cars. Sales continued to fall through the thirties despite flashy new designs by Raymond Loewy.
The Skylark was conceived as a last-ditch effort to save Hupp as sales dwindled. The dies for the defunct Cord 810/812 were acquired and John Tjaarda, designer of the Lincoln Zerphyr, was commissioned to facelift the front end of the car. It used the Hupmobile rear-wheel drive chassis, engine and drivetrain.
This is the only Hupmobile Skylark convertible ever made. It was owned for many years by the woman who was one of the models who posed in the car's publicity photos. The car made a cameo appearance in the 1957 film, Peyton Place.
Hupp's financial situation forced them to have the Graham-Paige Company build the bodies. The Cord tooling was not intended to be volume production and Graham/Hupp production only reached 170 per week, not nearly enough to support the two companies. By September, 1940, both companies called it quits after building just 319 Hupmobiles and 1,859 Grahams.
Source: Conceptcarz.com
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