1931 Hudson Great Eight - Very Rare restoration

lostmind

From the AACA forum--  Just passing along an experienced opinion

Re: 1931 Hudson Great Eight - Very rare car

Unfortunately, there's absolutely no way that interior is original. Perforated black leather/vinyl didn't exist in 1931 and they certainly wouldn't have done the door panels and headliner in the same stuff with exposed chrome screws. It might be an old interior, but it isn't 1931 old. Maybe 1980s old.

Whomever told you all the things about the car that make it rare (perhaps the appraiser with the questionable value judgement?) was wrong on almost every count. An unusual car, but not a custom, one-off freak made specially by the factory. It's a standard Hudson Greater 8 (not Great Eight) 4-door sedan. They didn't make a lot and fewer survive, but it's nowhere near a one-of-a-kind special order. I would strongly consider pursuing the appraiser for a refund as it seems he merely told you what you wanted to hear rather than offering a sincere and professional evaluation of the car. A crank hole cover is rare? Really?

Do more homework--even something as simple as a Google search--and you'll see that the facts regarding its specifications and their attendant rarity are wrong on almost every single level. Wire wheels were optional across the line so it's not all that remarkable to see them here, the club sedan and standard sedan both sat on the 119 inch wheelbase (in fact, all Greater Eights used the same 119-inch wheelbase), sidemounts were optional and available on all models, and suicide-style rear doors were indeed standard equipment on the 5-passenger family sedan, although, as you note, there appear to be other sedan models that had a different door configuration but I don't believe that contrast adds any value. It's like saying that the roadster came in red, and since this sedan is tan, that makes it really valuable.

This is a decent car, Hudsons are interesting and handsome, but if I were to professionally appraise it (which I do for a living, by the way, and I specialize in pre-war cars just like this) and put it in my showroom, it would be with a $29,900 asking price and a hope of getting $23-25,000 for it when it was all done. But with that interior, I might even be disinclined to list it--it's so badly wrong on just about every level that it really hurts the value, IMHO.

The appraiser isn't doing you any favors with his "knowledge" and now the car is burnt in the market. It will be that much more difficult to sell now that all the potential buyers (including at least one on this forum) have been frightened off by the staggeringly high price and vastly incorrect details.

Appraisals can be useful tools, but if they come back with prices that you know are crazy (and, let's be honest, you knew he was way out of bounds @ $75K), you should get a second and even a third opinion. Heck, just a glance at a price guide would have told you that he's off by several orders of magnitude. Just because someone tells you something that makes you happy doesn't make it true. This appraiser has done you a grave disservice if you're relying on him to value this particular car and has now handicapped your ability to sell it. That's not cool at all. Bad appraisers do almost as much damage in this hobby as bad body men, and this is an excellent example.

Last edited by Matt Harwood; 4 Hours Ago at 09:23.

Matt Harwood (BCA #38767, AACA #987226, CLC #26668, CCCA)
My driver:
1929 Cadillac 341B 5-Passenger Sedan
My project:
1941 Buick Century Sedanette
My business:
Harwood Motors

AdamB

For example, these 1929 Hudson's which has the same price tag per old car guides went for 77K+ in an auction a couple years ago. Surely my car would be comparable to these, right?

http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=826798

http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=582361

Just a thought, from a non-expert, when using these similar cars for comparable value.  The first is the very long '29 Model L, which is the only (non-exception) Hudson that the CCCA considers a "full classic".  I don't know why, I guess it's like membership to an exclusive club, but having a CCCA approved car I've often seen adds significant value to a make/model.  The second car, an CCCA exception full classic, being a Graber bodied '29 Hudson, is just that... a one-off Swiss coachbuilt car.

I know that doesn't offer any input on your car's value, but it means your car wouldn't quite be in the same value league as they are.

Jon B

If you're curious, you might look for "comps" in the sales of 1931 Chrysler / DeSoto, Olds / Buick, REO, Studebaker, Nash, Hupp, Graham or (deluxe) Willys cars.  All in recently-restored 1931 sedans, of course.  These would have been the brands comparable to Hudson in that era.

You could Google these, look in Ebay, Hemmings Motor News -- anywhere, really.  Then you'll see at least what people are asking for these cars.  In the case of Ebay, of course, at the end of the auction you will see what people are actually paying for these cars.

So few 1931 Hudsons of any kind (2-door, 4-door, convertible; restored, "barn find", derelict) are sold each year that it's extremely difficult to establish a "pattern" for the standard price being paid for them.  Your appraiser did his best to guess what this might be.  Of course, I notice that he's mostly into 60's and newer "muscle cars" so he may have little or no idea about the value of older cars like yours.

ESSX28-1

Did not reach the (lowered) reserve on eBay. Final bid $20,102

tombia

Boy this was a good post and sure makes a lot of sense, In my case I priced my Terraplane Eight coupe high knowing that I would not get $45,000.00 for it, but having not even seen one for sale other than several potential restorations in the 50 years I have had it and also knowing that anyone who really knows the history of Terraplane Eights is either dead, dying or don't care. you have to start someplace, again it is nice to see a positive discussion on pricing.!!Heck!!  I remember the running and driving trucks and stepdowns that were either free or durn close to free. Like a 47 pickup for $75.00 in 1968. I sold a running decent 54 Hornet coupe and a running nice 51 Hornet sedan for $150.00 in 1975 to a fellow member, followed by a 54 Super Wasp Hollywood and a 54 Hornet special coupe that I bought in 1977 here in IOWA  for $150.00.