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1930 MG M-Type Boat-tail Roadster

Original cost: 175 British pounds, 1931 ($1,253.00 US dollars, 1931)

Engine, etc.: 4 cyl.; 27 bhp; 3-speed non-synchromesh gearbox; 78 in. wheelbase

The sporty M-type roadster was produced by the MG Car Company from April 1929 to 1932. It was sometimes referred to as the 8/33.

The “MG” name came from Morris Garages, a dealer of Morris cars in Oxford, England that began customizing the designs of Cecil Kimber, a sales manager, in 1921. He stayed with the company until 1941.

Launched at the 1928 London Motor Show to stimulate sales in a sagging economy, the roadster car brought MG to a new sector of the market and probably saved the company.  It was the first affordable car made specifically as a sports car by an established manufacturer instead of being a modified version of a larger car.  It had excellent “road manners” and offered an exciting driving experience at a low price.

Early cars were made in the Cowley factory but from 1930 on, production transferred to Abingdon on Thames.

Bodies were fabric covered, using a wood frame, which changed to all metal in 1931. Most of the bodies were made by Carbodies of Coventry though some were made by external coach builders such as Jarvis.

The 1930 car used an updated version of the four-cylinder bevel-gear driven overhead camshaft engine used in the 1928 Morris Minor and Wolseley 10. The engine output increased in 1930 to 27 bhp by improvements in the camshaft, with a four speed gearbox as an option. The car would reach 65 mph and get 40 miles/gallon.

The chassis was based on one used in the 1928 Morris Minor also, with a lowered suspension which used half elliptic springs and Hartford friction shock absorbers with rigid front and rear axles. It had bolt-on wire wheels. Other improvements in 1930 were to the braking system and doors that became front-hinged.

The M-type had considerable sporting success, both privately and with official teams winning gold medals in the 1929 Land’s End Trial and class wins in the 1930 “Double Twelve” race at Brooklands. An entry was made in the 1930 Le Mans 24 hour but neither of the two cars finished.

The M-type was the first MG to use the Midget name which continued to be used on a succession of small sports cars until 1980.

Sources:  http://uniquecarsandparts.com/heritage_mg.htm  (History)
https://www.mgownersclub.co.uk/mg-guides/pre-war/mg-mtype-midget
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_M-type

Currency conversion, British pound to U. S.dollars, 1930:
https://www.uwyo.edu/numimage/currency.htm

1964 Oldsmobile Starfire Convertible, Body style 64-3667

Original cost: $4,742.00 ($4,100.00 for the coupe) (In 1963: average cost of a car:  $3,233; average household income: $5,807; average cost of a home:  $12,650)

Previous owner(s): Owner from Nebraska City – 1973; 1970 – owner from Omaha

Number made: 2,410 convertibles

Engine, etc.: 394 cu. in, 345 hp; 120 in. wheelbase; 4,275 lbs.

The 1964 Starfire was powered by Oldsmobile’s most powerful engine, the 345 hp Rocket V-8 with a Rochester 4GC four-barrel carburetor.

Standard equipment included automatic transmission; power windows, seat, steering, and brakes; whitewall tires; windshield washer; bucket seats; center console; and tachometer.

The Starfire was introduced in 1961 as “Distinguished… Distinctive… Decidedly New” by Oldsmobile, as a personal-luxury convertible.

Sales started to slide for the Starfire in 1963 and continued to slip in 1964 mainly due to competition from the Thunderbird, Grand Prix, and Riviera.

By 1966, the Starfire was completely overshadowed by the revolutionary front-wheel drive Toronado, with Starfire production at over 13,000 while production of the Toronado was over 40,000.

Production of Starfires stopped in 1966.

Sources: Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946 – 1974. John Gunnell. Rev. 4th ed. Krause Publications, 2002.
http://uniquecarsandparts.com/lost_marques_oldsmobile.htm  (History)
See also:  http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Oldsmobile/1964%20Oldsmobile/1964_Oldsmobile_Prestige_Brochure/dirindex.html  (Original 1964 brochure 1)
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Oldsmobile/1964%20Oldsmobile/1964_Oldsmobile_Foldout/dirindex.html  (Original 1964 foldout, brochure 2)http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Oldsmobile/1964%20Oldsmobile/1964%20Oldsmobile%20Salesman’s%20Specs/index1.html  (Salesman’s brochure with prices, etc.)

1918 Hupmobile Touring Sedan, Series R-1; 5 passenger

Original cost: $1,250.00

Previous owner: Owner was from Omaha (1972)

Number made: 9,544 (1918)

Engine, etc.: 4 cyl.; 16.9 hp; 112 in. wheelbase

Hupp Motor Car Company, Detroit, Mich.: 1909 – 1941

Hupp Motor Car Co. was founded by Robert Craig Hupp, a former employee of Oldsmobile and Ford, and his brother Louis Hupp.

The company produced its first Hupmobile in 1909. It was introduced to the public as the Hupmobile Model 20 at the 1909 Detroit Automobile Show. It was immediately successful and aided in establishing a company that would flourish for years to come.

The Series R was introduced in 1917. It was a smaller and lighter car and became the company’s bread-and-butter vehicle that carried the company into the mid-1920’s. Hupmobile established a solid reputation which allowed them to attract good engineers.

Hupmobile moved from a four-cylinder to a straight eight and produced a variety of models. In 1926 the Hupmobile Six was added and Hupp’s earnings skyrocketed.

The stylish 1928 model helped the Hupp brothers afford to increase plant capacity by buying the Chandler-Cleveland Corp. of Cleveland and 65,862 Hupmobiles were produced by the end of that year.

Encouraged by these strong sales, Hupp made the mistake of increasing the Hupmobile engine to a 70 hp Six and a 100 hp Eight in the 1930 models – after the stock market crash. Sales dipped 23% but Hupp forged ahead with a 133 hp Eight in an economy that couldn’t afford additional gas consumption. The company essentially turned its back on its established clientele in order to pursue a more lucrative market segment.

The company reduced prices on 1931 models but sales continued to plummet. A new model was introduced for 1932 and 10,500 were produced. This did not provide enough cash to make any significant model changes for 1933, but the new 1934 design received public attention and approval.

Tension, a law suit by shareholders, and an attempted hostile takeover of the company in 1935 created a lack of public confidence.

Hupmobile acquired production dies of a Cord design in 1938. In a last attempt for recovery it utilized the striking Cord design for a lower-priced conventional car and introduced the Skylark model. Production delays resulted in only 319 Skylarks being produced. It was not enough to turn things around for the company. (The Skylark’s grille later inspired grilles used on Lincoln Continental models in the 1940’s.)

By 1940 the company began reorganization under bankruptcy.

The lesson was that car makers needed to build cars that coincided with demands of the economy, not their egos.

The last preserved Hupmobile dealership in the United States is located in Omaha, NE.

Sources: Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805 -1942. Beverly Rae Kimes, et al. 3rd ed. Krause Publications, 1996.

http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z17577/Hupmobile-Series-R.aspx (1922 Hupmobile)
http://classiccars.about.com/od/classiccarsaz/a/Hupmobile.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hupmobile
http://clubs.hemmings.com/hupmobile/hupp-history.html  (Detailed history of the company)
http://uniquecarsandparts.com/lost_marques_hupmobile.htm  (Company history)