10/13/2026
THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED! 🏁
Remember that little minibike we asked you to identify? Well, there's a pretty incredible story behind it!
Meet Tom Earhart, former chief engineer at Rupp Manufacturing and an extraordinary innovator in the world of minibikes, snowmobiles, and motorsports!
Tom's remarkable life and accomplishments were featured in the January 2026 issue of Gun Lake Area Living magazine, including a Rupp minibike built by Tom himself!
A HUGE thank you to Jon Boulter for bringing this special little machine and its fascinating history to Classic Auto Mill! Jon, we truly appreciate you sharing this piece of motorsports history with us and giving us the opportunity to share it with everyone!
This is exactly what we love about classic vehicles. Every machine has a story, and sometimes the people behind them are even more remarkable!
Now we want to hear from you! Who remembers Rupp minibikes? Did you ever own one? We'd love to hear your stories!