1949 Hudson "Woodie" wagon up for auction

SamJ

This article is worth reading, IMHO... :P

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/06/25/one-of-none-step-down-hudson-woodie-station-wagon-to-cross-the-block/?refer=news

GrimGreaser

Great Googly Moogly... Wish my power ball numbers would work out...

hudsontech

25 years from now, if this car survives that long, I can hear the owner now - "Yep, factory only built 10 of these and this is the only one left!!! Don't want to really sell it - but if somebody came up with a couple mil I'd think about it." )

I don't know what the VIN is on this car, but maybe the restorer should have put a new ID tag and put serial number CM 2 (As I recall the factory step-down pickup is CM 1. Really muddy the waters many years down the line.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

oldhudsons

article about it says car is just a mish-mash of parts inc. the top off a '54.
I remember seeing it at Auburn & wondering why anyone would dump that kinda $$$ into what I call a "creation". Guess he hopes someone will bail him out.
With all that additional weight bet it handles like the proverbial "log wagon" & is gutless too boot.

[Deleted User]

Oh I would'nt make fun of it , I thought it was quite interesting. I too got to have a look at it in Auburn . He took an old factory concept drawing and put it into real metal . Just as it was drawn and would have been made had Hudson decided to make it.
Roger

russmaas

I kinda like it but dont think it will go the to estimated 150K+. Maybe half that

Browniepetersen

The difference between me and the guy that buys this car is the fact that the new owner will have the bucks to buy it! I thought my car was worth near to that kind of money and so I put it up for sale. I found out that a car is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it--and in my case it was well below that kind of figure. I still have mine and expect to for quite a while. However, if I had an extra 150 K, I for sure would be in there bidding for it, Custom, mismash, whatever you want to call it--I think it is cool and would love to have it in my shop!!!

[Deleted User]

This was the car Dick Bell did. The concept came from Butler's book. Took 2 roofs to complete. One from his 49 and the other from a 54 to get the contour right.

oldhudsons

I agree with Tallent, he did put a lot into it, did a good job & also concur with the rest of you, if if he can get 1/2 of that estimate he'll be lucky (which probably means he won't sell it).

RL Chilton

Hudzilla-

Are you sure it was Dick Bell? I thought Bill Eggert did this. If I remember right, he even got on the forum during the build to ask some questions, etc. I vaguely remember him saying he had been at it for 8-10 years or so.

[Deleted User]

I read about this in a few spots this morning. Bill Eggert is mentioned in the Hemmings article, though in the third link below Dick Bell is mentioned as the builder. I was trying to find out more about the car to write a piece on it.

Here's some links to mentions of this car from earlier Forum discussions (all will open in a new window):

http://www.classiccar.com/forum/discussion/54527/x/p1&Itemid=152
http://www.classiccar.com/forum/discussion/140497/x/p1&limit=6&limitstart=6&Itemid=152
http://www.classiccar.com/forum/discussion/70871/true-story-/p6
http://www.classiccar.com/forum/discussion/comment/56362

ArkieJazz

Eggert commissioned Dick Bell to build the thing

[Deleted User]

The fact that Dick Bell just passed would lend credit to the fact it just now goes on the market ?
Roger

402Bowtie

Dick Bell lives in Colorado Springs, alive and well. Now John Soneff from Denver just passed away Sunday. The Hudson community in Denver is really going to miss him. What a character, he knew his Hudsons and was a great promoter of them. He helped a lot of people get their Hudsons on the road. I have a lot of wonderful fun memories of John.

oldhudsons

WOW, sure sorry to hear of John's passing!
He sure was a curmudgeon but also could be a lot of fun in his unique gruff way. Sure knew a lot, had a LOT of Hudsons, at least at one time.
I hope his wife is doing OK, she was very nice.
How is his brother doing?

SuperDave

HERB Bell was the one that passed

oldhudsons

I've been told that John's wife preceded him in passing so I goofed above.
John at one time had a HUGE trove of Hudsons & parts in a big old Greyhound bus station he owned in downtown Denver, loved to "wheel & deal". Had rows of them stashed on an uncle's ranch outside of Denver too.
Only bought 1 car from him, a very original '39 CC8 cp.

[Deleted User]

Pardon my error,
Roger

ArkieJazz

I will miss John's stories and phone calls. I bought 7 or 8 Hudsons over the years from him. At times I probably bought just to have an excuse to run back up to Denver to see the old goat. John was never cheap. You always knew you were going to over pay for whatever you got from him, but he had a way of making you enjoy it. I could have put that another way, but since this is a PG rated you can use your imagination. Wow! I hate that he's gone. I will miss him. The scary thing is that as the old guard is passing, my generation is becoming the new "old guard". Scary

ArkieJazz

http://www.soneffs.com/

Jon B

"Promoter". That's a word that applied to so many of these old Hudson guys (like John, and Bill Albright). They knew how to get the Hudson name in the limelight by contacting just the right people about Hudsons or H-E-T events (or selling Hudsons to famous people). Most of us have the enthusiasm, but we don't do the promoting and promoting is what keeps the Hudson name from completely fading. Thank goodness we still have people around like Jack Miller.

oldhudsons

Jon - that's a good point. John often promoted Hudsons by featuring them in auctions he sponsored in Denver, having good color photos of a couple of his cars, which he had reserves on. Often they didn't sell due to his high reserves BUT they got a lot of exposure.
Bill did, as you say, get "high end" noted persons such as Steve McQueen, Bruce Brown, Jay Leno and others to buy Hudsons from him + got them placed in movies.