| Ask the Man Who Owned One! |
In late 1938 the Hupp Motor Car Corporation was making a desperate effort to regain its share of sales lost in the Great
Depression. As a supplement to Hupp’s bigger Senior line (models E and H), the company would field a low-cost Junior line to
be built using the sheet metal and assembly jigs last used to produce the front-drive 1936-1937 Cord, models 810 and 812.
Although much simplified, with conventional rear drive and on a shorter wheelbase, the prototype Junior Six still looked a little
too much like its late parent. Accordingly, the hood and grilles were radically redesigned to produce what would become the
Skylark (and later the Graham Hollywood).
In the spring of 1939, thirty (or possibly thirty-one) sedans and a single convertible were built and shipped to various dealers
across Canada and the U.S.A., for show purposes only – or was this so? These Skylarks were not built on a production line,
nor finished to the solid standards of the Senior 6s and 8s, but were nevertheless given serial numbers, as if in anticipated of
being sold to the public. Although it is known that several of these cars made it to private owners, just how they were disposed
of has not been known until now (Spring, 1995).
In March of 1993, Mr. William (Bill) Gewand of Buffalo, New York, wrote Jeff Godshall with the revelation that in June of 1939 he
had bought a brand new Hupmobile Skylark sedan from a dealer in Buffalo, and what’s more, he even had the original
registration form as proof. Mr. Gewand had only recently come across Jeff’s exhaustive, two-part account of the
Skylark/Hollywood story that had appeared in Special Interest Automobiles, October and December 1981 issues. Of historical
importance, the circumstances surrounding the sale of this pre-production Skylark in early summer 1939 are revealing, and
are likely what took place at other dealerships that also had “show” Skylarks on their sales floors.
Born on December 17, 1910 in Buffalo, NY, Bill Gewand has had a life-long love affair with fine cars. The oldest of a large
family, Bill joined the workforce at age sixteen, and contributed to the needs of the struggling family for years to come. Bill’s
father, who was an excellent machinist had become a certified chief stationary engineer following completion of
correspondence school courses. He wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, but Bill’s interest in automobiles led him into the
automotive trade, and he would remain in this business for the rest of his working years. A self-confessed workaholic, Bill was
continually buying, repairing and selling used automobiles for extra money, while still employed full-time at the trade.
Depression. As a supplement to Hupp’s bigger Senior line (models E and H), the company would field a low-cost Junior line to
be built using the sheet metal and assembly jigs last used to produce the front-drive 1936-1937 Cord, models 810 and 812.
Although much simplified, with conventional rear drive and on a shorter wheelbase, the prototype Junior Six still looked a little
too much like its late parent. Accordingly, the hood and grilles were radically redesigned to produce what would become the
Skylark (and later the Graham Hollywood).
In the spring of 1939, thirty (or possibly thirty-one) sedans and a single convertible were built and shipped to various dealers
across Canada and the U.S.A., for show purposes only – or was this so? These Skylarks were not built on a production line,
nor finished to the solid standards of the Senior 6s and 8s, but were nevertheless given serial numbers, as if in anticipated of
being sold to the public. Although it is known that several of these cars made it to private owners, just how they were disposed
of has not been known until now (Spring, 1995).
In March of 1993, Mr. William (Bill) Gewand of Buffalo, New York, wrote Jeff Godshall with the revelation that in June of 1939 he
had bought a brand new Hupmobile Skylark sedan from a dealer in Buffalo, and what’s more, he even had the original
registration form as proof. Mr. Gewand had only recently come across Jeff’s exhaustive, two-part account of the
Skylark/Hollywood story that had appeared in Special Interest Automobiles, October and December 1981 issues. Of historical
importance, the circumstances surrounding the sale of this pre-production Skylark in early summer 1939 are revealing, and
are likely what took place at other dealerships that also had “show” Skylarks on their sales floors.
Born on December 17, 1910 in Buffalo, NY, Bill Gewand has had a life-long love affair with fine cars. The oldest of a large
family, Bill joined the workforce at age sixteen, and contributed to the needs of the struggling family for years to come. Bill’s
father, who was an excellent machinist had become a certified chief stationary engineer following completion of
correspondence school courses. He wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, but Bill’s interest in automobiles led him into the
automotive trade, and he would remain in this business for the rest of his working years. A self-confessed workaholic, Bill was
continually buying, repairing and selling used automobiles for extra money, while still employed full-time at the trade.