Pope-Tribune

Pope-Tribune (1904–1908) was part of the Pope automobile group of companies founded by Colonel Albert Pope manufacturing Brass Era automobiles in Hagerstown, Maryland.^[1]

Pope Manufacturing Company
Pope-Tribune

1904 Pope-Tribune 6hp Runabout
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1904; 121 years ago (1904)
Defunct	1908; 117 years ago (1908)
Fate	Closed, factory sold
Headquarters	Hagerstown, Maryland, United States
Key people	Harold Pope, Gilbert J. Loomis

History

With an initial price of $650 (equivalent to $22,748 in 2024), the Pope-Tribune was the cheapest and smallest model of the Pope automobiles. The factory was set up in the old Crawford bicycle factory and run by Harold E. Pope,^[2] the colonel's son.^[1]

A 1904 Pope-Tribune taking part in the 2009 London Brighton veteran car run

The first Pope-Tribune, a single-cylinder runabout, was introduced in 1904. It was to the design of Gilbert J. Loomis, who made the Loomis automobile of Westfield, Massachusetts. Model II also had a front-mounted, vertical, single-cylinder engine (with a 4.5in bore and a 4in stroke), wheel steering, sliding pinion gearbox, shaft drive and a bevel rear axle with a differential.^[1]

In 1905, the price of the car was reduced from $650 to $500, and a 12 hp two cylinder model was added. Production continued until 1908, but by then the cars had become larger and more expensive. The final models, with four-cylinder engines, were a 16/20 hp selling for $1,750 (equivalent to $59,056 in 2024, and a 30 hp for $2,750. The company closed in November 1908 and sold the Hagerstown factory.^[2]

The model that is on display in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, is an early model with a single cylinder and shaft drive.