• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

Can anyone ID this American car...

Boink

Yoda
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
... from a family photo that dates from about 1915?

car.jpg
 
OP
Boink

Boink

Yoda
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
Thanks! Sure looks similar (though there are differences). I rechecked which album I'd scanned, and it could have been in the late 20s (as I'd gotten it confused with another album I scanned from pre-1920 with some REALLY old cars). There are few amusing shots where the caption reads "taken while going 40 miles per hour!!!"

In a much earlier album (with what I think are photos from 1903 to 1911) I found this shot... with the caption "goes 60 mph!"
Steering seems to be on the right.
60mph.jpg
 

JPSmit

Moderator
Staff member
Silver
Country flag
Offline
I don't think it is a Chevy. It looks more obscure - Hupmobile or something. If you look at the hood it is not curved like a Chevrolet.
 

Basil

Administrator
Staff member
Boss
Offline
I don't think it is a Chevy. It looks more obscure - Hupmobile or something. If you look at the hood it is not curved like a Chevrolet.

I agree. Also, look at the difference in shape of the rear part of the Landau top. The mistery car is much more squared off. Plus, look at where the back end of the car body meets the rear fender: On the myster car, the rear of the body meets the rear fender just about at the center-top of the fender. On the known Chevy, the rear of the body is more curved and meets the rear fender much further back.

THe hood ornimate looks a bit like Hupmobile (Also it looks like there are letters "H" on the metal plates on the running board)
 

PAUL161

Great Pumpkin
Silver
Country flag
Offline
Like the Chevy, some cars back then could be had with artillery wheels as an option, some came through with them as standard. Not sure of the year, but I saw a 1920s Chevy with a factory V8 in it at Hershey! Original owners had it, it was wedding gift from her father. I think I remember they said a Chevy with the regular 4 cylinder engine was $700.00 plus, the V8 version was over $2000.00! :rolleyes2:
 
OP
Boink

Boink

Yoda
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
Interesting. They did have weird (to me) cars. Years earlier they had an "EMF."

Here's another shot of the car (and it seems to have different headlights than the Chevy as well as the bumper being split). Wish I could read that thing on the running-board.
sc0001.jpg
 

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
Gold
Offline
Interesting indeed - There's only one door (and one running board foot plate) on the driver side, but two doors and two plates on the other side.
 
OP
Boink

Boink

Yoda
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
Yes, I noticed the lack of a door-handle on the driver's side too. Hmmmm.
 

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
Gold
Offline
Mark - what was the name of the woman in that picture?

Foot plates were options you could order from catalogs - not just from the car's manufacturer. I wondered if what looks like an "H" on the plate could be the owner's initial(s).

Tom M.
 
OP
Boink

Boink

Yoda
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
Her last name was Bouvier (likely Mabel Bouvier, nee Germain). They were visiting Seattle (where this was taken) from Port Huron, Michigan.
 
OP
Boink

Boink

Yoda
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
Tom:
The car belonged to my grandfather, Arthur Germain (who lived in Seattle and built the house the car is in front of). The woman standing was visiting family.
My grandfather always had new cars... an EMF, Packards, early Cadillacs. They'd take the train to Detroit and buy a car so-as to drive it back!
Here's yet another car they had (filled with family):
car.jpg
 

Basil

Administrator
Staff member
Boss
Offline
Mark - what was the name of the woman in that picture?

Foot plates were options you could order from catalogs - not just from the car's manufacturer. I wondered if what looks like an "H" on the plate could be the owner's initial(s).

Tom M.

Since it's a 1926 Hupmovile, I was thinking the H might stand for Hupmobile?
 

pdplot

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
Here are a few old car pix from my folks album. Two pix of their Hupmobile, an Auburn sedan and I have no idea what the third one is. Any guesses? Problem - they are too big to upload even though they are small pictures. I'll try to resize.
 
Top