One of a Kind Beauty!
“The Princess Diana”
Story by - John Ashcneberg
Photos by – John Aschenberg
So, knowing that the '34 Cabriolet convertible Model K421 is one of the rarest, having the only one in existence really raises the bar for the term of being rare plus finding parts to be able to restore the Cabriolet. Donna Downs of Colona, Illinois may have the only one known to exist according to national documentation. So, when Butch and Donna started on the project of restoring the convertible an original restoration wasn't in the picture. Plus they already had other ideas that they wanted to do with the '34. Now that you know a little bit of the history of the Hupmobile, let's get to the meat and potatoes of the build of the Downs' '34 Cabriolet convertible, commonly referred to as "The Princess Diana".
The build process on their '34 took 2 years. Butch did the build part of the Hupmobile while Donna did all the background research. Every vehicle needs to have a solid foundation. Butch kept the original chassis, however, made modifications in areas to accept any and all new upgrades. Butch went with a Ford narrowed 8.8" rearend with a Ride Tech Tri Link along with a TCI Mustang II front suspension and Ride Tech ShockWqves to give it the best ride possible. Finishing out the chassis foundation they went with Budnik wheels wrapped in Bridgestone rubber, 18 x 7's up front, 20 x 8's for out back and 17 x 5 for the custom side mount. Handling the stopping power is done with Wilwood brakes in all four corners.
