Vehicle Description
A custom build completed by Lang's Custom Auto and Trim in New
Cumberland, Pennsylvania, this rare 1941 Hupmobile Skylark won the
Gene Winfield Award at the Syracuse Nationals and was featured in
"Street Rodder" magazine. Like so many pioneering American car
companies, the Hupp Motor Car Company prospered during its early
years, only to flounder at the outset of the Great Depression. In
1939, Hupp mounted a last-ditch effort to reverse its fortunes
after an 18-month shutdown, entering a partnership with
Graham-Paige to share production of the Skylark, a John Tjaarda
design based on the Cord 810/812 production dies Hupp had purchased
from the Cord Automobile Company in 1938. The Skylark was the last
car Hupp built before reforming as a military and automotive-parts
contractor, but as this fabulous custom-built 1941 example
demonstrates, it has had lasting appeal with a dedicated band of
enthusiasts drawn to its unusual Art Deco styling.
What began life as a '41 Hupmobile Skylark, one of only 319
produced in 1941, is destined to complete life as an elegant hot
rod featuring 18 body modifications. Granted you would have to have
been involved in the build, or one really dialed-in Hupmobile
aficionado to know each of these mods, but once they were pointed
out all have their place. Sheetmetal changes were performed by Bill
and his team, which was as simple as the removal of the driprails
or frenched antenna, something many a modern-day hot rod has
undergone. To more extensive mods, such as the rear angle of the
trunk enhanced outward 8 degrees, along with the trunk extended and
angled, which led to the rear fenders peaked and extended by some 8
inches, was all performed. Forward the hood was sectioned and pie
cut while one-piece side glass was installed, along with reshaped
and smoothed garnish moldings. And, did we mention that the
windshield opening was reshaped to accept a Duvall-style frame that
now fits the reshaped windshield and cowl area. In an attempt to
modernize the car to accept today's wheel and tire packages the
front and rear wheel openings were reshaped at their backside with
a pleasant taper. In a gesture to another famous car of the past
with a short but explosive lifespan, the visible side trim utilized
the "V" from an Edsel. The remaining side trim pieces were formed
out of stainless steel and then highly polished with the Hupp
four-door handles incorporated. The lighting was another area
filled with creativity as the hand-fabricated split front bumpers
incorporate Harley-Davidson turn signals while the Hupmobile
headlights have found a home in '36 Ford buckets. The
hand-fabricated split rear bumpers rest below the Nissan side
markers that now serve duty as taillights. The one-off running
boards are trimmed in stainless steel while the last vestige of the
Cord 810, the front-wheel-drive "bulge" in the front sheetmetal,
was removed, yielding a more compact and smoother appearance.
Within the floorpan was extensively modified and the frame and
front crossmember feature a kick up to accommodate the many new
changes going on underneath.
The sheetmetal was properly massaged via numerous hours of bodywork
through the fingertips of Bill. Afterward, the final colors were
applied by Dave Cornwell of D.C. Hot Rods in DuPont (Axalta) Hot
Hues' two-tone colors split at the beltline; the upper in a
metallic pearl white with a Champaign Fizz lower. Paul Quinn of
Design Brilliance handled the contrasting graphics that split the
upper and lower body colors.
The Hupp's underpinnings are based on the original chassis to which
a Currie 9-inch rearend is affixed and uses Stainless Steel Brake
Corporation 11-inch rotors and disc brake calipers along with
RideTech coilover shocks. In front the Heidts Superide IFS utilizes
its own brand of lowered spindles with SSBC 13-inch rotors and disc
calipers, RideTech Shockwaves, Flaming River rack-and-pinion, and
Kugel Komponents under cowl master cylinder and swing pedal
assembly. Keeping all of the suspension rolling down the highway is
a full complement of Budnik Revolver wheels measuring 18x8 and
20x9.5-inch with BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW2 rubber, 215/35ZR18 and
245/35ZR20.
The suspension and rubber are in place, so now what's up, or should
we say, Hupp's up!, for the powertrain? The motor is a 454 Chevy
big-block prepped by Gil Davis Race Engines that is filled with a
SCAT crank, COMP Cams roller cam and rockers, all covered over with
custom valve covers by Bill who also made the engine cover/air
cleaner assembly. Other engine appointments include the MSD
ignition, Edelbrock Air-Gap intake, and carburetion with a Lokar
throttle. The spent gases work their way through a Lang-fabricated
exhaust fitted with MagnaFlow mufflers to hush the tones. All this
power is channeled to the rearend by a Turbo 400 reworked by Pat's
Transmissions with a Lokar shifter attached.
With all of this going on outside the interior retains a great deal
of the original Hupmobile appearance but enhanced with today's
components and attention to comfort and detail. The Hupp dashboard
was modified, and the insert enhanced with Birdseye Maple outfitted
with Classic Instruments modern representations of the originals
White installed the Mobile Spec stereo and he also handled all the
wiring, which included the operation of the Vintage Air heating and
A/C system.
The ididit steering column is topped with a modified Ford Crestline
wheel that features a Hupmobile emblem. Lang's Custom Auto & Trim
received the nod to stitch the "grand room" that's based on custom
front seating covered in Mello Hide leather in an Espresso Pearl
with Juliano's seatbelts while the Daytona weave carpeting was done
in a dark brown. More of the Mello Hide was used on the door panels
while the custom center console is another one-off touch by Bill
that hides the retractable radio head unit.
