1933 Hupmobile K-321 Cabriolet

Founded in 1909 by Bobby Hupp and Charles Hastings, the Hupp Motor Car Company was born and based in Detroit, Michigan. Further support came from investors J. Walter Drake, Joseph Drake, John Baker, and Edwin Denby with Drake being elected president and Hupp vice president and general manager. Emil Nelson, formerly of Oldsmobile and Packard, joined the company as Chief Engineer and Hastings was named assistant general manager. In late 1909, Bobby's brother, Louis Gorham Hupp left his job with the Michigan Central Railroad in Grand Rapids and joined the company. This combination of expertise lead to a fantastic team set to produce some fabulous motorcars in their time.

The Hupmobile K-321 Cabriolet Roadster was released in 1932, with the USA still reeling from the 1930 Great Depression, and was a good car that struggled to sell in the economic climate, despite its successes on track with the Coupe variant. Beautifully designed with the lovely flowing lines synonymous with 1930s American cars, this K-321 Cabriolet Roadster presents fabulously in its Primrose Yellow and Chocolate Brown two-tone colour combination. Built on a 121-inch wheelbase, the K-321 was powered by a 3.7-litre, straight-six, L-head engine producing circa 90bhp. In 1933, the K-321 was Hupmobile’s most popular model, with around 4,600 produced. The car featured a sloping front grille, and the bonnet was lengthened to cover the cowl. Bonnet vent doors, first seen on the larger straight-eight model in 1932, were also incorporated for the straight-six. It was the first complete car design by famous industrial designer Raymond Loewy that was put into production without changes which, we imagine, must have pleased him.

Less than 10 of these K-321 Cabriolet Roadsters are known to still exist so this is a very rare survivor. It was sold to Australia when new and arrived on these shores in 2004 when it was imported by Waterside Classics of Glasgow. It's fitted with some fabulous period options including two side-mounted spare wheels with metal covers, twin trumpet horns, a heater, sun visors and an interior mirror with inbuilt clock. The original 3.7-litre engine unfortunately cracked its block and, in March 2020, it was replaced with a 1941 Hupmobile 4.1-litre Skylark engine at a cost of c.£8,500 with the installation carried out by independent marque expert, Dave Palmer. Importantly, the original engine comes with the car, is already crated up and ready to go.

Starting and running brilliantly with the newer engine, this K-321 is a powerful car, comfortably cruising at normal speeds by modern standards. The car appears well restored with a lovely interior, re-upholstered in 2014, in high-quality cognac-coloured hide extending to the dickey seat. A new mohair hood was fitted at the same time and folds down easily having been well designed to fold almost flat and we understand that around £9,600 was invested in the interior and soft top. The paintwork presents very nicely in its period Primrose over Chocolate Brown colour scheme.

Unusually, for a car of this age, the ownership history is known from new.

This is a very attractive and eminently useable classic that is completely at home in modern traffic with a decent turn of speed. It's accompanied by a fascinating history file documenting significant expenditure since 2007 and we welcome and encourage any inspection of this remarkable example of Thirties Americana.