38 Hudson 8

ESSX28-1

Been offered this 38 Hudson 8. Still runs nicely but been in dry storage since 1963 Original paint
Comments as to what to to be wary of & poss value.

Ol racer

FYI
It looks like everything is there, Stainless, Lens, Radio, Clock, with dual Side Mounts, etc... You say it runs nice so its probably worth $15 - $20,000 US looking at a recent Old Cars Price Guide. Of course, variables could raiee or lower that figure.

Jon B

David, that's a really rare car (especially considering it's in New Zealand -- and RHD as well!).  I don't have Hudson's sales figures for 1938 but the '38 "senior" Hudsons have to be almost as rare as the 1933 full size Hudsons.   Of course the 1938 Terraplanes and ''112's" were rare, but not as much as the Hudsons.  And the fact that this is in such good condition and original as well, adds a lot to the value in my book.

Value?  No idea!  So few of these are sold that it's hard to establish a pattern.  And then too, one has to ask what the demand for such cars is, in N.Z.?  I would hope you could acquire it for less than $15,000 though.  Sadly, Hudsons are consistently undervalued; if the emblem said "Packard" the seller could ask whatever he wanted for it.

Nothing to be wary of (though I suppose you should get underneath and look for extensive rust.  Probably isn't any, of course.)

ken1962

There was a 1938 in south Australia for sale a few months ago for approx $22000 from memory sold after a month or so- Believe it was a HET members car which was only driven once a year (maybe a south Aussie member could confirm?) yours is probably a few thousand less as the SA car was advertised roadworthy and already registered and owned by a current HET member too old to drive it was the only reason for its sale.

Your car looks surperb - id be concerned about the 50 year old tyres blowing out - how much would 5 x white walls cost in NZ?

I'd be happy to pay $18000 but at $23000 I see lovely fully restored olds and gleaming buicks here in Aussie in this upper bracket

Lovely car - best of luck

Cheers ken

allan

That's a nice car.  Same exact interior as my model 83 (6 cyl) standard sedan.  That's strange as I have seen  8 cyl models that had an upscale interior material and it was original; so I'm thinking if this is original interior, perhaps the export model was a little different.  I have seen lots of export Hudsons over the years and it seems as though the sidemounts were really popular.  The car is too nice to restore, so someone would have to be happy to use it as is.  The floor covering is not original or correct (not that it matters).  So really, other than the sidemounts, it's a standard model 84.  I would put the value at 20K, plus transportation.

Allan

Kevin_Ch

Looks like a very nice car, David.  What is the VIN?  I agree with Allan that it is too nice to restore.

Kevin C

Geoff

David, you park that car outside in Wellington's salty atmosphere and I'll burn your dunny down!

RL Chilton

Agreed.  Looks like a very nice car!  What a find.  

[Deleted User]

Looks as if the seats have newer covers and carpets also. but I would still love to have it in my garage. The steering wheel is on the wrong side, LOL

Geoff

NO, it's on the RIGHT  side, of that there can be no dispute!

Lee ODell

Dave
That is a great looking original car. I had a strong want desire when I say the pictures. Since it has been in storage since 1963, if it were me I would drop the oil pan and tray to clean the sludge. Then clean all the rod scoops and make sure the scoop holes are open to the bearings. When I bought my 47 and dropped the oil pan to clean I was surprised the sludge was caked on both pan and tray so thick I had to use a putty knife to remove. It had not been stored nearly as long as this one. I probably would have ruined the engine had I started driving it like that with the scoops clogged with that crud.
If you don't get it quick someone else will.
Lee O'Dell

Kdancy

Very nice Hudson!

Ric West IN

In case some newer members are unaware,  the "Pigeon roosting wires" are for  the radio antena.

Have seen this on 36-38's.

"Ric"

terraplane8

I looked at this car in August 2005, see image I took at the time. At that time it was still in the basement garage where it had been since 1973. The owner was a farmer and the car ended up in the dry basement of his sisters.

The red paint was a re-paint and not the original paint as best I could tell, and the seats had vinyl covers on them, so the upholstery is probably original.

The mileage was 78,000 at that time. I think the plates are 1963 series so it would have come off the road at that time. The plates looked brand-new too, unmarked.

Park_W

In case some newer members are unaware,  the "Pigeon roosting wires" are for  the radio antena.

Have seen this on 36-38's.

"Ric"

On cars with the deluxe radio, which this car likely has, there was about 25 feet of antenna wire under each running board, with a crossover connection back near the rear u-joint.  Fortunately my '36 came with all the associated brackets, etc., so it wasn't too hard to restore it per original.

37 CTS

The biggest worry is that someone else buys it while you are thinking about it.

These are great driving stylish cars that impress all who look at them

The interior is newer , not bad,  not correct but nice.

AM radio signal bounce off everything and the under the running board antenna work. FM is direct from the radio station to the antenna, and a mast type works best.   That is why we still use the mast type on new cars after all these years

Trevor J

I spoke to the owner.

The door panels are original, the seats are a recover, the radio still works.  Sounds like a great c

barrysweet52

Laurie's 1938 car in South Australia was a beautiful 6cyl