What is this Terraplane worth?

Unknown

Hello,



Glad I found this forum, you guys sure seem to love these cars! I hope someone can help me out with this. My Grandfather recently passed away and I have been given an opportunity to inherit his '37 Hudson Terraplane. This car is all original and in very good shape, despite having been stored unattended for the last several years. My Grandfather owned it for a very long time, took care of it, and rarely drove it save for the occasional parade or classic car gathering.



click here to see some recent photos



The only problem is that in order to be able to inherit this beautiful automobile, I have to determine fair market value and present that to the executor of my Grandfather's trust so that he can make an equitable division among the beneficiaries.



If any of you have an opinion on the approximate value of this car, please let me know by replying here or with a private message.



Thank you very much in advance.



Greg

Unknown

Greg, I have been involved in this type of think and from my experience you will need to provide to the attorney a written appraisal by a certified appraiser. The attorney should be able to give you a list of people to contact, or you may be able to locate someone in your area by an internet search.

Unknown

Thanks, this situation is a bit less informal since there is no will to probate and no attorneys involved. Grampa apparently didn't think paying taxes after he died was such a great idea heheh. All I really need is a ballpark value, an opinion from someone who has experience in the trading of these vehicles.

Unknown

Hi, Greg. Of course it's difficult to put a value on something this old, since so few of them are sold each year that a price 'pattern' can't be established. Also, we don't know the exact condition of the car. It appears to be the model 71, 'Deluxe' Terraplane, which had fewer features than the 'Super' Terraplane (simpler steering wheel, only one taillight, no chrome wings on front fender, manual choke, single-throat carb, to name a few). But it looks to be in very solid condition with only minor dings, which is very important. Assuming it runs and drives and there aren't big holes in the floorboard, I'd hazard a guess of between $4,000 and $6,000, though someone else may have a better 'feel' for valuation. If you do decide to keep the car, I'd suggest you join the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club, where you'll find a network of fellow '37 owners for advice, a splendid bi-monthly magazine, and a source for parts and technical literature. If you haven't seen it yet, bookmark the Club home page for future reference at http://www.hudsonclub.org/ .

Unknown

Jon,

Thanks so much. That is exactly the information I needed...I wish I had been more knowledgeable concerning his cars, as he had quite a stable of great American automobiles from that era. Some of them I know more about, but the Hudsons had always been a mystery to me.

I really appreciate all the additional information you provided, and yes...I hope to keep the car and restore it for later generations to enjoy also.

JasonNC

Good,
We can always use another person willing to restore a Hudson. May I suggest that you begin your restoration by giving the car a bath?

Unknown

By the way, Greg, there is a fellow named Robbie Williams who keeps a registry of all the surviving 1937's (both Hudsons and Terraplanes) and I know he'd appreciate adding your car to the list. (He may be able to furnish you with the names and addresses of '37 owners in your area, in return.) If you can, please send him your name and address, and the serial number and a brief description of the car (body style, condition, color, etc.). His address is HETRTerraman@aol.com (remove the HET first, that's there to discourage spam robots!). By the way, he's an expert on '37 Terraplanes so don't hesitate to ask him any questions you may have.