Vintage Car Hupmobile In Coonoor, 1927 Postcard
A 1927 postcard of an American automobile in Coonoor, shown is a Hupmobile, a vintage car in today’s period. Seated in the car is a Briton, Norman Wood Smith, apparently with his driver. Believed to be on a tour around North India, South India, and the Nilgiris. This was usually the case with some British officials during their stay in the country.
The English families would take off in their vehicles to tour the countryside. Generally, to know more about the country, people, and culture. Hupmobiles, like the Wolseleys, were fairly popular across India because of their use in rugged conditions. It was manufactured by the Hupp Motor Company in Detroit. They brought out the first car in 1908, with good sales, around 1600 Hupmobiles were sold during that time.
The Hupmobiles did well into the late 1920s. By then, it had a great reputation because it had the finest engineers. Hupmobile had an ever-changing engine design, which added more power to it, thus boosting sales greatly. Likewise, the price range of the cars would naturally also increase. The stock market crash in America (the great depression) was a dampener.
The sales plummeted drastically since customers could not afford the additional fuel cost. It was thus the beginning of the end of the Hupmobile. Despite making every effort to revive sales that was steadily plunging in the 1930s. They tried to make it more fuel efficient and even brought in experienced collaborators. Unfortunately, all this did not help, the company eventually closed down in the 1940s. Click on the photo to enlarge.
Did you know – there were many foreign brands of cars in India before independence. Subsequently, only two or three brands were in operation in collaboration with Indian firms.
From the collection – Raja Ravi Varma’s “Mohini On A Swing” – Vintage Print 1930s., Britishers At A Badminton Party India – Old 1880 Photo., Esplanade Road & Tram Mumbai, Old Postcard 1905., Bombay Fort And Harbour – Old Map/Plan 1754.
