Largest Eight Model U in period home movie

[58L-Y8]

Watching this home movie of Packard Dealer in Binghamton, NY, at 2:38 through 2:40 a large two-tone light colored sedan briefly appears.

I believe it is a 1930-1932 Model U, the largest Eight made during those years.

Steve

[Hupp36]

All I  saw  were Packards,  where  was  the  Hupp?

[alsancle]

So how many model U cars still exist?

 

I couldn’t find it either.

[58L-Y8]

Watch carefully at 2:38 through 2;40, it drives right to left in front of the dealership.  Pause the video to check the details,

[alsancle]

This one?

 

[Hupp36]

The  1931 Hupp Model  U  has  a 137inch  Wheel  base. I  found a pic of and  add for  Hupp free wheeling.  Note  that  both  cars  have  4  suicide  doors. I  think  it  is  a 1931,1932 model  U  Hupp. See  scan

[58L-Y8]

Yes, AJ and Hupp36, that's the one! Its one of the few images of this rare model outside factory promotional material I've seen.  The Production Figures Book of U.S. Cars by Jerry Heasley, 1977 edition, list calendar year production for the Model U as follows: 1929: 5; 1930: 393; 1931:170; 1932: 122; total 690.   In addition to the seven passenger sedan and limousine, a five passenger coupe was added during the series.  Bodies were supplied by Raulang, display a slanted windshield seen on no other Hupp series, not even the Series H with which the U shares a powertrain.  These are among the most obscure of Full Classics.  Survival?  I'll be interested to read if any are still extant.  I've heard the number four from a Hupp historian.

[Hupp36]

Al,  your  answer to  how  many  are  left, total production . 1929-1932   690  cars. I  looked in  3  Hupp  rosters  and  could  not  find   any members  that  have  a  U  listed. Now  thats  not  to  say as my  good  friend  Don  Roetman would  say " Did  you  look in  every  barn"  No  real  way to  tell  how  many  survived.

[Hupp36]

58l-Y8,  Being a  Hupp  guy as  I  am,  what made you  pick  that car  out?

[58L-Y8]

Hi Hupp36

 

Hupmobiles in general are just one of the makes of interest to me.  I also love to discover obscure models of every make particularly from the independents.  I ran onto the Model H and U about twenty years ago, even acquired the color sales folder for the Model U.  I wrote to Karl Zahm back then about Full CCCA Classic status for it, which has since been granted.  I had a brief phone discussion years ago with David Romani about the Model U, he told me four cars still are extant, none restored.    The discovery of this brief video evidence of their existence at one time surprised me probably as much as it did you.  As a Hupp man, can you verify whether the Models H and U were simply further developments of the Chandler Royal Eights since that company was acquired by Hupp in 1928?

 

Steve (58L8134) elsewhere on various Packard forums.

[Hupp36]

From the  begging of the  company  Hupp  developed there own  engines. From  1909 to  1925  it  was  a 4 cyl.   In 1925 Hupp  engineer's  built a  small  8 cyl.  called the  model  E.  In  1926 they  built a 6  cyl.  Model  A. In  1927  they made  a slightly  larger  8  cyl.  called the  model  M. Adding  more  horsepower on the  1928 model M.which  was 90 hp.  Later in the  season  they  made  the  model  C  which  was  100 hp. Then  can the 8 cyl  H  model  with  123  hp  The  largest  8  cyl. Chandler produced in  1929 was 95  Hp.. Hupp  had  already  made  an  8  cyl  with  100 hp  in the  model  C  in 1928. Hupp  started  selling  the model C, H  and  U  in  1929. In  answering  your  question, I  feel  there  are  too many variables to  say  yes  or  no. Chuck M

[58L-Y8]

The reason I've posited this Chandler connection is although they acquired Chandler-Cleveland in anticipation of greater demand and need for production capacity as the record 1928 year was closing, they acquired tooling for cars which would unlikely have been discarded as they were current.   Hupps largest eights were 268.9 ci, 3" X 4.75" compared to the Chandler Royal Eight 85, 340 ci, 3.375" X 4.75".  The H & U 365 ci, 3.50" X 4.75" would have to have bore center spacing wider than what was possible in the 268.9 cylinder block. 

 

The other motivation in the late '20's, with the success of the Packard Six and Standard Eight, plus entry of the LaSalle, both in the $1,800-$2,900 entry-level luxury segment, multiple middle-priced carmakers entered the segment with cars such as the Chandler Royal Eight 85, Studebaker President, Graham-Paige 827 and 837, REO Royale, Peerless Master & Custom, Hudson Super Six L, Jordan Great Line Eight, etc, to get a piece of this emergent market.  Of course, by the time some like the REO Royale and Hupmobile Model H and U arrived, the Great Depression was seriously taking hold of the economy, spoiling any chance for long-term success.  It appears Hupmobile utilized the Chandler resources to enter that upmarket segment, just on the cusp of the downturn.