1941 Graham Spotted A Few Years Ago

[Bloo]

Hupp were the ones who acquired the Cord dies, and initially they were advertising a "Junior Six" which is almost a Skylark. The front end is a little different. Definitely not Cord but not quite Skylark. The Graham deal came a bit later. Graham wanted a new look, had production capacity, and Hupp was not able to get production rolling on their new Cord-based car.

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Bloo (see edit history)

[George Albright]

[George Albright]

[George Albright]

See Ad above. Sorry posted backwards. November 2004 graham owners club magazine. This ad sure makes it look like the Graham factory hired their graham Paige dealer in Chicago to liquidate 225 new graham Hollywoods! Seems like the end for graham Hollywood and Hupmobile skylark was a sales disaster. Great ad! 

 

[58L-Y8]

The instigator of what became Hupp Skylark and Graham Hollywood was Norman de Vaux when he bought the Cord body dies.  Mr. de Vaux, a protege of Billy Durant's during his GM days and principle with Durant's own Durant Motors 'empire' in the 1920's, had ambitions to have his name on a marque itself.   The ill-fated 1931-'32 De Vaux, developed in conjunction with Colonel Elbert J Hall, produced in large part by Continental Motors and Hayes Body Co. fulfilled that ambition but failed in its untimely introduction period.  In order to recoup some of the debts De Vaux owed, Continental and Hayes morphed the De Vaux into the 1933 Continental Beacon, Flyer and Ace, which failed as quickly as the prior effort to gain market traction.  De Vaux, undaunted, tried to revive the erstwhile 1934 Continental Beacon as an export-only, yet still-born 1936 De-Vo.

Still undiscouraged, De Vaux was high bidder for the Cord 810/812 body dies and unused remaining body stamping.  He immediately began shopping the idea to utilizing those dies and components to recreate a stylish, lower-priced car, essentially based on the Cord's visual appeal.  Without production facilities of his own available, both struggling Graham-Paige and Hupmobile were engaged with the proposal.  Each had just introduced newly restyled series for 1938 which, for a variety of reason, were not returning the sales volumes intended.  De Vaux promoted the concept of a Cord-bodied companion series to bolster sales of their main 'senior' lines.  In this process, the industrial design John Tjaarda, of Briggs/Lincoln-Zephyr renown, was contracted to restyle the new front sheet metal necessary as the now rear-wheel-drive configuration would remove ten inches ahead of the cowl for a 115" wheelbase.  

Hupmobile, the worst shape of the two companies, took the contract first but soon discovered they could not follow through on volume production.  At that point Graham-Paige, which was still viable enough to take on production did so with the agreement a percentage would be allocated to become the Hupmobile Skylark version, powered by its own six-cylinder engine plus trim details.   Hayes Body Co. was contracted to build the bodies from the dies and existing stamping, deliver them to the Graham plant for production.   It was a practical solution to the precarious situation in which both companies existed.  Downside was both nameplates were widely known to be in financial trouble, their dealer networks dwindled to a few hundred outlets.  Few buyers were willing to purchase a new car that might quickly become an orphan make with the concomitant loss of parts and service support plus diminished resale value.    Regardless of how good one's cars are, when the public has lost faith in the company as a viable manufacture, it time in the business is over. 

 

Steve
 

[alsancle]

54 minutes ago, 58L-Y8 said:

The instigator of what became Hupp Skylark and Graham Hollywood was Norman de Vaux when he bought the Cord body dies.  Mr. de Vaux, a protege of Billy Durant's during his GM days and principle with Durant's own Durant Motors 'empire' in the 1920's, had ambitions to have his name on a marque itself.   The ill-fated 1931-'32 De Vaux, developed in conjunction with Colonel Elbert J Hall, produced in large part by Continental Motors and Hayes Body Co. fulfilled that ambition but failed in its untimely introduction period.  In order to recoup some of the debts De Vaux owed, Continental and Hayes morphed the De Vaux into the 1933 Continental Beacon, Flyer and Ace, which failed as quickly as the prior effort to gain market traction.  De Vaux, undaunted, tried to revive the erstwhile 1934 Continental Beacon as an export-only, yet still-born 1936 De-Vo.

Still undiscouraged, De Vaux was high bidder for the Cord 810/812 body dies and unused remaining body stamping.  He immediately began shopping the idea to utilizing those dies and components to recreate a stylish, lower-priced car, essentially based on the Cord's visual appeal.  Without production facilities of his own available, both struggling Graham-Paige and Hupmobile were engaged with the proposal.  Each had just introduced newly restyled series for 1938 which, for a variety of reason, were not returning the sales volumes intended.  De Vaux promoted the concept of a Cord-bodied companion series to bolster sales of their main 'senior' lines.  In this process, the industrial design John Tjaarda, of Briggs/Lincoln-Zephyr renown, was contracted to restyle the new front sheet metal necessary as the now rear-wheel-drive configuration would remove ten inches ahead of the cowl for a 115" wheelbase.  

Hupmobile, the worst shape of the two companies, took the contract first but soon discovered they could not follow through on volume production.  At that point Graham-Paige, which was still viable enough to take on production did so with the agreement a percentage would be allocated to become the Hupmobile Skylark version, powered by its own six-cylinder engine plus trim details.   Hayes Body Co. was contracted to build the bodies from the dies and existing stamping, deliver them to the Graham plant for production.   It was a practical solution to the precarious situation in which both companies existed.  Downside was both nameplates were widely known to be in financial trouble, their dealer networks dwindled to a few hundred outlets.  Few buyers were willing to purchase a new car that might quickly become an orphan make with the concomitant loss of parts and service support plus diminished resale value.    Regardless of how good one's cars are, when the public has lost faith in the company as a viable manufacture, it time in the business is over. 

 

Steve
 

 

Thanks Steve for reminding me of Norman de Vaux.   I had forgotten he was the character that got it all going.    Hupp was in MUCH worse shape and few people realize that the Graham corporation stills exists with a different name.   They did very well during WWII building landing craft (I think).

 

The leftover body pieces were used to construct the handful of convertibles and the Hupp prototypes.

 

 

[58L-Y8]

AJ:

Norman de Vaux is one of those characters who pops up in association with a stream of companies and cars, none which seem to have much longevity.  But one has to give him credit for tenacity and perseverance.   

The most definitive history of these hail-Mary, last-ditch efforts I've read and still refer to was written by Jeff Godshall for Special Interest Autos magazine, titled "Cords in Disguise" Part 1, Issue #65, October 1981 and Part 2, Issue #66, December 1981.  Worthwhile to revisit those if they're in your periodical collection.   Let me know if you haven't those, I'll see what I can do.

Convertibles being the showroom draw they were then; the public would never have suspected the shining example before them was constructed from leftover body panels. Presenting such was a ruse, a show of confidence and promise by the company of cars they might soon be able to buy.   When they never arrived in the showroom, buyer wrote them off as a 'flash-the-pan'.

Steve
 

[8E45E]

2 hours ago, 58L-Y8 said:

Hupmobile, the worst shape of the two companies, took the contract first but soon discovered they could not follow through on volume production.  At that point Graham-Paige, which was still viable enough to take on production did so with the agreement a percentage would be allocated to become the Hupmobile Skylark version, powered by its own six-cylinder engine plus trim details.   Hayes Body Co. was contracted to build the bodies from the dies and existing stamping, deliver them to the Graham plant for production.   It was a practical solution to the precarious situation in which both companies existed.  Downside was both nameplates were widely known to be in financial trouble, their dealer networks dwindled to a few hundred outlets.  Few buyers were willing to purchase a new car that might quickly become an orphan make with the concomitant loss of parts and service support plus diminished resale value.    Regardless of how good one's cars are, when the public has lost faith in the company as a viable manufacture, it time in the business is over.

Interestingly enough, both Graham-Paige and Hupp Corporation survived as non-automotive entities, with the second world war contracts injecting them with operating capital to carry on as a business.  Graham-Paige become a holding company, including Madison Square Gardens.  Hupp Corporation made refrigerators and other appliances under the Gibson brand name.

 

Craig

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, 58L-Y8 said:

AJ:

Norman de Vaux is one of those characters who pops up in association with a stream of companies and cars, none which seem to have much longevity.  But one has to give him credit for tenacity and perseverance.   

The most definitive history of these hail-Mary, last-ditch efforts I've read and still refer to was written by Jeff Godshall for Special Interest Autos magazine, titled "Cords in Disguise" Part 1, Issue #65, October 1981 and Part 2, Issue #66, December 1981.  Worthwhile to revisit those if they're in your periodical collection.   Let me know if you haven't those, I'll see what I can do.

Convertibles being the showroom draw they were then; the public would never have suspected the shining example before them was constructed from leftover body panels. Presenting such was a ruse, a show of confidence and promise by the company of cars they might soon be able to buy.   When they never arrived in the showroom, buyer wrote them off as a 'flash-the-pan'.

Steve
 

That reminded me, that our car had four coats of paint on it, with the last one being on the car when it was bought in 1949. I’m thinking they re-sprayed it and rotated around different dealers.

[George Albright]

See Ad above. Sorry posted backwards. November 2004 graham owners club magazine. This ad sure makes it look like the Graham factory hired their graham Paige dealer in Chicago to liquidate 225 new graham Hollywoods! Seems like the end for graham Hollywood and Hupmobile skylark was a sales disaster. Great ad! 

 

[George Albright]

[George Albright]

I love the original  green color on this graham. Anybody know the color name ?

[8E45E]

39 minutes ago, George Albright said:

I love the original  green color on this graham. Anybody know the color name ?

Appears to be the same green as the car in the ACD Museum.  Perhaps you can contact them for the color information on it.

 

[George Albright]

Yes it does! Wow thanks