The Roadster was one of the five body styles available on the 1913 Pope-Hartford model 31 (Touring Car, Phaeton, Roadster, Coupe and Limousine), all with the 40 hp 300 cubic inch long stroke motor and a four speed transmission. The model 31 had many features of the higher powered models at a price $1000 less than the model 33 and $2000 less than the model 29.
Colonel Albert A. Pope established a number of auto brands in the early 1900s, including Pope-Toledo (above) and Pope-Hartford, which was built in his original plant in Hartford, Connecticut. In the 1907 Bank Panic, banks realized that people were mortgaging their homes to buy automobiles and stopped giving loans due to fear of foreclosures. Colonel Pope lost all of his automobile companies except Pope-Hartford and had to sell all of his factories to other manufacturers. Colonel Pope died in 1909.
In 1913, Pope-Hartford made three models on the same chassis: the 31, 33 and 29 with progressively higher horsepower and longer wheelbases. The model 31 was the entry level car, with a four cylinder 300 cubic inch engine developing 40 hp on a 118 inch wheelbase chassis (the model 33 was a 50 hp 390 cu. in. four cylinder, and the 29 was a 60 hp 471 cu. in. six cylinder).
This body style was named for Don Gaspar de Portola after the Pope-Hartford won the 1909 San Francisco “free-for-all” race celebrating the 300th anniversary of Don Gaspar de Portola's discovery of the Bay Area. The Pope-Hartford model 31 roadster (stripped down for weight) competed in the grueling Indianapolis 500 race in 1913 and finished sixth out of 26 vehicles at the start, averaging 68 mph with top speeds of over 80 mph. Only ten vehicles completed the race.
This 1913 Pope-Hartford Model 31 Portola Roadster has won numerous awards at auto shows and Concours d’Elegance.
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