Why not Hudson

harry54

Does anyone know why there is very rarely any Hudsons at Barrett-Jackson ?

Last year there was supposed to be one ,that was a rod. It never even got auctioned.

This year there are two trucks , a 41 and a 37. What do you think ?



http://www.barrett-jackson.com/events/scottsdale/vehicles/makelistnb.asp?auctionid=53&makeid=1857

SuperDave

I would like to think that those people that Have a Hudson don't want to part with it. We are collectors and not sellers. Happy with what we have.But.. More is better.. LOL

harry54

Dave,

I agree, ever since I got involved with the club all I see is happy owners. It doesn't seem that any Hudson owners ever like to sell there cars. However it surprizes me that as there value climbs people still won't sell.

rambos_ride

harry54 wrote:

Does anyone know why there is very rarely any Hudsons at Barrett-Jackson ?
Last year there was supposed to be one ,that was a rod. It never even got auctioned.
This year there are two trucks , a 41 and a 37. What do you think ?

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/events/scottsdale/vehicles/makelistnb.asp?auctionid=53&makeid=1857

I'd say it's sheer numbers for one thing. For instance Hudson produced about 600,000 stepdowns from 48-53 compare that to some of the BrandX'ers you see at BJ's where there were millions produced...

Hudson has probably been under the radar for so long people have heard about them don't know about them. I've been into autos for 35+ years and never once thought about a Hudson until I bought the 49...

BJ's is so popular now You also are pretty much guaranteed to have to sell at NO RESERVE not many of us have deep enough pockets to do that and/or buy the car back.

Just my .02...

harry54

Dan,

I agree with you that these cars are undiscovered. The only reason that I got involved was because My Dad Had 2 step downs when I was a kid. Now I'm 45 and can't believe how amazing that these cars were for there day. They handle and drive like nothing else I've ever driven. But here's the rub, with all the attributes that Stepdowns offer and technology being what it is today, how come more people aren't aware ? If a beautiful 51 Hornet rolled across the stage at Barrett, I wonder if the no reserve would matter ? Thanks.

P.S. I love watching the progress on your 49C8. That's going to be one fine Hudson.

Unknown

I have a different take on this. I think the reason there are so few at BJ is because there are so few convertibles that are restored to the degree where they will bring action at BJ. The crowd there want perfectly restored or original flashy, muscle or unique cars made in low numbers. Hudson coupes & sedans just dont do it for them. I am NOT saying they are right, I am just talking about from an auction supply and demand perspective. If you look at past BJ and RM acutions, the Hudsons you will see are restored convertibles, which there are precious few.....and like someone above said, most Hudsonites dont want to part with them.

[Deleted User]

Some Say That Money Can By Anything But They Cant Buy Our Hudsons So Who Is The Lucky Ones Hudson Dave

Aaron D. IL

I think that a LOT of Hudson's change hands between HET members and not on the auction block. If you go to a HET meet and you're looking at one particular step-down there may very well be 3 previous owners present at that meet. They change hands between members, a little restoration gets done and they get passed on. By the time you're at the 5th owner it's practically restored but still driven. LOL

[Deleted User]

You're absolutely right, Aaron. One car in particular in our Chapter has changed hands six times in 40 years, each time to a Chapter member, and has stayed in Oklahoma. All of my Hudsons have been sold out-of-state but one, but all to HET members. Two went to CA, two to AR, one to KS and one parts car stayed in OK. When I bought these cars, three came from within OK, one each from KS, ND, NE, and TX (seven total), and only one was bought from someone who was not a HET member. So, as you've stated, when a Hudson sells, it tends to stay within the HET community...at least that's my experience.

Unknown

Howdy

I bought my 2 Hudsons from a HET member, who bought them from a HET member, and he bought the '53 from another member. It had a very old HET window sticker on the rear wind wing, and I think I just sold them to another HET member!

I always liked the Hudson Stepdown because to me, it was a better looking version of a Merc. I bought my first Hudson Pacemaker with the intentions of building it up as a mild custom with Chevy power, then bought the '53 with a 308 Twin H. I was gonna do the Hudson Hot Rod thing, but just ran outa $$$. Problem is, that the Hudson bug has bit, and now I gotta find another one! This time, I plan to find one that is running, or close.

Billy

harry54

I appreciate all the feedback but ponder this ? Is it possible the reason for non particiation in B-J is that the collector car world at that forum is still not educated about Hudson's. Also since B-J tends to cater to the muscle car world doesn't Hudson have roots there ?

mrsbojigger

Sh-h-h-h !!! , Don't tell B-J about our Hudsons. By keeping them off the radar we in the Hud community can afford to own one of these little beauties. When the prices get over the price of a new home most of us average guys couldn't afford one. Its sort of like when my wife and I were walking on the beach at Corpus Christi enjoying a quiet time. A man and his family who was obviously enjoying being there also remarked to me, "This is such a great place why don't you all tell the world about it." I explained that once that happened, the beach would be over crowded, prices at hotels and restaurants would increase, then there would be more litter , more noise and more crime to deal with. There goes Shangri La! I'm all in favor of keeping our "Shangri La".

Just a thought even though it probably won't mean much.

Peace,

Chaz

vmike

I personally think it's one of those strange quirks of human nature. People will pay more for something they're familiar with or understand. Like standing at a surplus auction and being the opening and only bidder on a scientific device while ten people bid on a sewing machine. I collect and restore antique gas engines as one of my hobbies, and it never ceases to amaze me that people will pay a premium price for a John Deere engine of which there are thousands in existance over a rare engine right next to it at half the price. I see the same thing with collectors of antique tractors. A friend of mine always says they just want to see who can collect more of the worlds most common tractor.



We should hold our heads up and be proud to count ourselves oddballs while the herd pays more than the price of a house for a collector car. No insult intended towards the cars, I've owned some of those, mostly before they became colectable.



mike

Aaron D. IL

I tend to think of the Merc as Ford's cheap version of a Hudson (remember the step-down came out before the Merc.) Most HET guys own more than one Hudson, some even own 40 of em. Part of the reason the HET community is the way it is...is because traditionally HET cars have been less expensive to have and keep than big 3 classics. Most of us aren't in it for the money, many of us took in these cars when no one else wanted them.....some even pulled a few out of junk yards for $25. Now a few rodders and people that are begining to yawn at the muscle cars are lookin around. Don't get me wrong most of the hobby is still muscle cars since that's the bulk of the current car-guy demographic. But to answer your question Harry - yes I think most people are uneducated about Hudsons and do not understand them. B-J is going where the money is and that's in muscle cars. I think chaz speaks for a lot of HET guys who would much rather things keep somewhat quiet and affordable. But as the newest Hudson approaches 50 years old I also think it is important that all the surviving restorable cars find a home with someoen willing to restore them. There will still be a demand to stock and produce parts if enough Hudson's are on the road. I don't think I have to tell most of you though that people who restore their own cars rarely if ever make money on em. I always tell "civilians" who ask about what my Hudson is worth that money is the wrong reason to be in this hobby. If all the prices went sky high on selling Hudson's sure, a few of us would make out well.....but it would no longer be fun. I got a buddy who is in the Lincoln club and he tells me there are a bunch of retired doctors and dentists and such that own old Lincolns and they pay other people to restore them and there is not a technically minded shade tree mechanic in the whole bunch. Part of the beauty of HET guys is that they really know these cars and can answer obsccure questions about obscure aspects of these cars. That would definitely change if only people with deep pockets were in this club.

SamJ

Hudsons come up for auction all the time...just not in great numbers. A couple of ragtop stepdowns have been auctioned off for big money recently. One factor that hasn't been mentioned is that a lot of HET owners want to see their cars go to a good home. Most of us know which members have cars that we're interested in, and which members are likely to sell or buy. So cars tend to stay within the Club.

[Deleted User]

I am new to the Hudson auto, but I tend to agree with the statement that not many people know about them. True, I've been out of the hot rod hobby for 25 years (Harley's and Rock Crawlers 'til this year), but honestly, I didn't even remember there was a Hudson! But I do remember seeing some early Mopar and even a Huppmobile. Maybe there weren't enough of them around, or nobody wanted to deal with a unibody (more difficult to do a frame-off resto's or customs). My father built hot rods in his teens in So Cal, but never mentioned anything about a Hudson. I guess he was a GM man (46 Buick sled, 56 Corvette to name a couple). I wouldn't have found mine if I hadn't been searching late 40's to mid 50's cars on eBay without specifying a make (though I lost a few bids and ended up buying mine from Hemmings)! I bought it purely for the fact that it was much cheaper than a Merc and I wanted that lead sled look, which it does just fine. And though 4 doors and station wagons are coming into style (at least in the hot rod scene), most people want a coupe or 2 door sedan (no offense to you 4 door owners). And frankly, you don't see very many 2 door Hudsons for sale out there. And to be honest, until the HOT ROD scene sees them as an alternative (and a few are now), they will be relegated to a small number of hard core Hudson people. The reason you see so many Chevys, Fords, Merc, etc., is because the majority of them are HOT RODDED! If it wasn't for the hot rod people, car collecting would remain a hobby for the few and few cars would even be restored. And aftermarket companies are not going to invest time and money in developing items if there is not going to be a big market for them. I don't know how many Hudsons are left out there, but apparently not as many to make an aftermarket. And without an aftermarket, Hudsons will never be as popular as other makes. Personally, I would love to see someone making aftermarket frames (that could be welded to the bodies) that could replace existing rotten ones with set-ups for modern suspensions, engines, etc. I've seen a couple custom built frames, but thats not what I'm talking about. That one item alone, I think, would make Hudsons a popular alternative.



But again, maybe most Hudson folks want to keep the Hudson obscure. And that is fine too. Probably make the originals worth more as time goes on, but will never make them popular as a whole.



Jay

harry54

Jay,

I hear you on the Rodding Community. The aftermarket goes after the largest potential mkt. I guess the big three will always have that cornered. I'm also glad that the rest of the collector world has not stood up and noticed. But surprized at the same time. There is nothing better than going to a local show and and being the only Hudson there. We get alot of attention.

[Deleted User]

You're right harry, there's nothing like being the only one and getting the attention, that's great!



As far as B-j is concerned, I've been going to it here in Scottsdale on and off for 13 years. The muscle car thing is a fairly recent trend (maybe lasts 8-10 years here). Most of the cars I saw when I moved here were early Corvettes and T-Birds (I think of these as more classics than muscle cars), Shoebox Chevys, 64-69 Mustangs (I guess you could say a muscle car)Duesenbergs, Ferrari's, Maserati's, Mercedes and a few Mega Dollar Street Rods and the like. Muscle cars just happen to be the flavor of the times now. In five or ten years, it may be something else (the Pacer, Vega, Ford Granada's, who knows! lol). Maybe its a baby-boomer thing......these are cars (the muscle cars.... Mustangs, 'Cuda's, Superbee's, etc.) we grew up with and they were fast and we remember cooler days! Some babyboomers today are affluent and have the money for these cars at B-J's prices. I go to see a few cars I know I'll never be able to afford and possibly get some ideas I can you use on my projects.



The Hudson market will be what Hudson folk make it. I just hope everyone enjoys their rides, whatever the market is.........I guess most of us don't really care about a market (resale market that is) anyway. :-)



Jay

[Deleted User]

I think everyone has hit the mark in someway on this subject. The bottomline to all this is that there just aren't and never were very many Hudsons. GM made well over one million 57 Chevy's in one year alone. The 49 and 50 Merc was immortalized by the James Dean movie and created that market. Does anyone really think the 49 or 50 Mercury was a better looking, faster, better driving or mechanically superior car than the Stepdown Hudson? It isn't but it gets more money because people like to chop them up.

Personally, I think the price guide is low on many of the Stepdown models, especially out here in la- la land: California. Regarding two door Stepdown coupes, especially Hornets, how often do you see any forsale? I will go out on a limb and bet prices increase on stepdowns overall by atleast 20% in the next 12 months. For those who want a REALLY affordable car hobby, try Gremlins or Pacers...yuck! Niels

harry54

I can understand the affluence of the 90's and the and the 99 .com crash causing people to look for other asset based safe heaven's for capitol. Throw in the 9-11 effect, in the tri-state area ,and you have money chasing tangible assets. But for some reason the muscle cars have gotten ridiculous. As far as I'm concerned I'll take a Hudson any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

[Deleted User]

well I'm new to the hudson world. I own a 53 super wasp 2 dr and I will go to my grave with it. I think that hudson owners have a stronger bond with their cars because the work that it takes to restore them. first..ya don't see them everyday, second...they were ahead of their time..the first stepdown. great body lines. don't have too drop them cuz they already ride low to begin with. But with the work in restor them....there isn't a crap load of companies out there that make repo parts. its not like you can pick up a mag and look inthe back to find a dozens repo manuf. you have to beg, steal, borrow or fab your own. it takes alot of love and passion to rebuild one of these fantasic cars. my 48 ford that i'm rebuilding was in worse shape than my hudson BY FAR. Like night and day! but it still cost me more to redo my hudson. and my hudson was driven to my house. do you know how much it cost to rechrome a bumper! thought i was gonna have a heart attack! but i ordered a brand new bumper for my 48 for only 250$. shit...its cost that to ship out my old bumpers! if you have a shell of an old ford you can build the rest with new parts. Not with a hudson. but its all worth it when i drive it. the looks you get from people is awesome and when an old timer comes up to you and complements you on the car he took his wife ( of 50 years ) on their honeymoon in tops the cake. I never thought my fav car would be my hudson but I would never sell her. I'm just tryin to fig out how to bring it with me when I go cuz I'm not leavin it behind.

harry54

aryan,

I'm with you on the cost's being more expensive to restore. Finding parts has become a little easier between ebay and going to hudson meet's. I was lucky enough to go to Mcungie Pa. this year and had a blast. There were many Hudson vendors and alot of Club members willing to help with questions. I truly loved talking to the senior members because of there passion and willingness to share what ever they could with me. I never thought that I'd get as Hudson crazy as I am. This is truly a fantastic Club and organization. I feel impowered now to pass on the passion and gifts of whatever I can with anyone who is interested in Hudsons. I even think we should have a Phone chat line to talk on a daily basis to get our fill. Sounds crazy Huh ?

[Deleted User]

hell I think thats a great idea. Its hard to type on the keyboard with greasy hands. my wife tends to complain! but she is sure on 2 things. NOT TO COME BETWEEN MY CARS AND I and NOT TO DRIVE MY CARS. I even get mad when she even thinks about it. she can drive my truck but not my cars. I let her drive my hudson once and bitched that it was big and had no power steering oh and god forbid no cd player. the last straw was when i heard gravel kickin up underneith. needless to say that was the last time. and she only drove about 1 mile. all that in one mile.lol. i gotta love her. ..... she makes more money than i. LOL. well keep me informed on the phone chat line.

Aaron D. IL

Getting buried with it huh? So if there ain't no Hudson's in heavan you ain't goin ? LOL As far as the two-door models go I agree those who have em are hanging on to em. Someone who is outside of the world of Hudsoning just wouldn't understand the passion involved in this particular make of car. B-J sure wouldn't!!!!! Meritt Marks had a lot of vision too when he decided that we wouldn't have a club that judged for trophies because this is the most cooperative club I've been in. People come out of the woodwork to help you put the Hudson's back on the road. Trophies just collect dust on your shelf...sure the recognition is nice but when someone you meet on the street recognizes what you're driving that by itself gives me a lot of pride.

[Deleted User]

Don't know if this has been said before but I'm saying it again. Hudson people drive their cars. If you look at BJ you see a lot of trailer queens. Can you imagine leaving a Hudson without driving it. My first experience driving my Hornet was flying down, buying it and driving from one side of Canada to the other. 7 days on the road and loving ever minute of it. After that I could never have a trailer queen. You just fall in love with driving them the roar of that 308 and the road handling....I think I'm gonna cry....no I can hold it.



Its so true the passion you see with a Hudnut, it becomes an obsession.

harry54

51Hornet,

That must have been awesome. You have to share that one with me. What was the whole experience like ? Picking up the car and getting aqainted ? Driving accros Canada ? Was the car all that it was supposed to be ?

[Deleted User]

Some would say I was a complete idiot and looking back they might be right. I saw my car online it did not sell so I emailed the address given and the person selling it was doing so for a relative they gave me his number. I phoned him he was a great guy so I sent him half in the mail and then flew down with my brother and the minute I saw it in person I was gone. At that point I would have pushed it the 3000 miles home. I took it for a spin came back paid the rest of the money, loaded our bags in and bombed down the road.



The first thing that hits you is how low you are to the road and how smooth the ride was. I was really lucky being the 3rd owner of this Hornet. The original buyer had babied it. It was always garaged and maintained. Same with the guy I bought it from. So the car was rock solid on the road. It took me about 100 miles to get used to what sounds it made and how it handled. Early observations were the brakes were great, handling was amazing. On the first day coming home I was on the four lane heading into a long curve and knowing how they were supposed handle from reading I started to accelerate in the curve I came out the other side doing over 70, she hunkered down and the radials dug in, no excessive roll and the sound of that engine...pure magic.



My favorite memory is leaving Ontario and gunning towards Winnipeg its about 7:00pm not much traffic I am sitting around 80 Mph and the engine and the road feel were just in that magic spot. Everything sounded right, she felt like this was the sweet spot. We got to Winnipeg in very good time luckily Hudsons are exempt from traffic laws



The driving and road handling are exceptional I averaged over 8 hrs of driving a day some fast some slow depending on the road. It was everything that people said and more. Nothing like the view through the windshield past the golden ^.

Aaron D. IL

dammit now I think I'm gonna cry. LOL Thanks for sharing that 51Hornet

rambos_ride

Great story! I love the picture with the cowl vent open rumblin' down the road.

harry54

51Hornet, That was the best bedtime story ever. I live in Wilton ct and work in Jersey City New Jersey. That's about 58miles each way and on nice days I drive in my 54 Hornet Sedan. There's nothing better than going down the West Side Highway at 6.00 am in the morning passing audi's and bmw's. The best is going thru the Holland Tunnel , people think that I'm crazy. They're right.

Just like You. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.The pic is great. I wish you and your's a Happy Hudsoning Holiday........

Unknown

Did they have fender skirts for a 46 Hudson Super six coupe?????? If so where can I find a pair?? Thanks....JR new hudson owner