Here's one for all; Why did you choose a Hudson, and what has you so enamored over it?
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Mine sort of chose me.
It was my father's first car and it sat around for almost forty years, waiting to be restored some day. About five years ago, he gave it to me and I sent it off to Dr. Doug a little over two years ago.
It should be done in a few months and I'll be able to drive it for the first time! (The last time it was running, I was only seven years old.)
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Here is my story. When I was 15 (1980) I was telling my dad about what kind of car I wanted to get when I got my drivers license....Firebird or Camaro. He proceeded to tell me about what kind of car he wanted when he was my age. The story went on for what seemed like an eternity. Hudson Hornet....stock car champ....fast....blah blah blah........I didn't think he would ever stop talking. I stopped listening at the beginning when he said I couldn't have a car until I was 18! At the end of the story he said "If you can find a Hudson Hornet I will let you buy it". Three weeks or so later I found my car in the classifieds for $300. A rusted out 51 Hornet. I had it towed home and when my dad got home from work he went ballistic. Luckily my mom reminded him about his story a few weeks earlier. I worked on it for a couple of years before I went to college and then forgot about it . In 1990 after I had moved to Florida from Michigan I got a call from my dad telling me he was calling the scrap man in 2 weeks to get my Hudson out of his garage.
I took a road trip to get my car and started fixing it up, with the help of a few guys in the Hudson club. It isn't a show car, but runs and drives nice and turns many heads (it is the car in my avatar).. I have since had dozens of Hudsons and can't seem to shake the "bug". I will probably always keep my first Hudson and maybe some day my son can fix it up again.
Don
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The fastest car for the least money! My Dad bought them off the back lots of area car dealers. My first Hudson was a hand me down Jet. Owned driven Hudsons since 1963. Nicest car I have owned... 1954 Hornet sedan, original interior in like new shape, 22000 miles purchased for $200.00 in 1972. Lots of cars and several trucks have come and gone. Today we have 3-1954 Wasp and on 1953 Wasp. The HET fever is forever!0
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A friend bought a '36 H8 in about '75 all mint original grey colour and we had some great rides in it. I liked how the back floor was so big and so flat the dog could go to sleep curled up there as well as room for a crate of a dozen beers, big beers 750ml. The back seat was the place to be on a journey, in good company. Not forgetting that smooth engine that went so well and the unique straight eight exhaust note. Hudsons were different and intrigued me and my friends after a diet of Chevs, Fords and gutless Pommie stuff. Here in NZ you hardly ever saw one in the 70's let alone today, even at that time they were something well out of the ordinary. Around that time I heard another friend mention that someone knew of a 'Terraplane' lurking somewhere and that name must have stuck in my mind - I did not know then what that was and there was no internet to find out either. I thought at the time that sounds quite interesting..........fast forward a few decades and I remembered that and checked out this Terraplane business. What I found pleased me.
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Somewhere around 1949, My father was in the USAF and stationed at Craig Field near Selma Alabama. I was about 10 years old at the time. A friend of his, "Darby" from California had a 48 or 49 black Four Door Sedan. On one occasion, after an evening at the NCO club, Darby let me sit on his lap and steer the Hudson back home. My inexperience was probably a better choice than HIS steering after an evening of drinking! I fell in love with that big dashboard and the blinking Gen and Oil lights. The gen light flash was accompanied by a "clunking" sound. Many years later I discovered that the voltage regulator was on the firewall in front of the driver. That was the source of the "clunk". Later My dad bought a 46 Two door, Nice but....then he traded for a 51 Super Six Brougham. That was late fall of 1951. We moved to North Carolina in that one. The Hudson Hornets were winning many stock car races and we attended many!. That left me with an undying love of Hudsons. Dad traded the Hudson for a 52 Buick Roadmaster.. With Dyna-Flow.. OMG! . End of an era. LOL
In 1965 After 8 years in the USAF I moved my family to Florida, near my Dad and Stepmother. I managed to buy my 31 Model A Ford back from the fellow that my Dad sold it to. ( I just gave it to my 50 year old son for safe keeping) I joined the local Antique Auto Club. I also joined the H.E.T. and T.H.E. clubs. Started my search for a Hudson. Dad gave me a 51 Hornet he found in Sanford,that looked good, but needed mechanical help. He said he didn't understand why I liked Hudsons so much, "They were just everyday cars". I fixed it up and drove it for a while. I later sold it to buy a 49 Convertible I had found by accident in Pine castle Fl. Dad got the "Bug" and bought a Hudson and got active in the HET. Later became President of the National Club and instrumental in forming the Orange Blossom Chapter.
Many Hudsons have come and gone over the years. Now there is a nice 49 Commodore Custom Eight Convertible in my Hauler and a 49 Super Six Brougham in my barn getting a "Resurrection". NO ! didn't misspell it. This car was left for dead! With the help and generosity of many great H.E.T. folks over many states, I am seeing some progress. Without the help of the Forum and My friends in the H.E.T. This would not be possible. Like our Friend Alex has said many times. You come for the cars, you stay for the people.
Dave Waddell AKA SuperDave. (The SuperDave came from a few "less than stellar performances" in some stock car races. Not because I'm Super! LOL)
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Some 30 years ago I told a friend that my next car would be a Hudson. I had restored/rebuilt around sixty cars by then and he kept telling e what a pleasure it was to work on a Hudson. He had two for sale. A 46 Brougham and a 52 4-door. I thought it was about time I went for a "Muscle car" so I went for the 52. Today, I only own Hudson's. They are a dream to work on, drive and own...0
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In 1950 Mom went back to teaching full time and needed a car. One of Dad's brothers had a '37 Terraplane brougham for sale ... $295. The folks bought it for Mom. I was 15. Went back to school in the Fall and told my home-room seat mate the folks had bought a Terraplane. Turns out he had bought one too that summer. His older brother was a long time Hudnut and had filled him with Hudson lore over the years. Thus I got the same treatment, learning about Hudson design, engineering and performance. Next Fall when I turned 16 I started driving Mom's Terraplane evenings and weekends. Quickly found out it would beat most of the Fords, and enjoyed driving something that was a little different. Lots more to the story, as many of you know, but this is how it started. Four years and six Hudsons later, we sold our last "regular driver" Hudson, a '51 Hornet convertible. Our current Hornet is an identical car except OD instead of Hydramatic.
And Super Dave, we were at Craig AFB mid '72 to mid '75. I was a supervisor in the T-38 squadron.
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In 2009 my son, age 13, fell in love with Doc Hudson from the Pixar movie 'Cars'. I promised to restore a Hornet with him and it would be his to own. We purchased a 1953 sedan in 2010 and have been working on it off-on ever since. Other projects in-between have slowed progress but we're now 90% done. Except for paint, machining, chrome and interior we've done it ourselves. Hundreds and hundreds (thousands?) of hours of frustration and reward. Once back from upholsterer we have to do glass, rockers and exterior trim. My son is 18 now, and still just as excited about his car. We could not have done this without the help of this incredible club, and all the friendly, helpful members who give their time and expertise so freely. This is why, when I realize I have something to contribute, it is my pleasure to do so.1
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It was the summer of 1955 when I got my first Hudson A 19 51 Pacemaker And I have owned and Raced Hudsons from then on. I WAS A teenager in South Carolina and watching Hudsons Race and win at Darlington Race track in that part of S.C. I was sold on the Fast Hudson and my Hornets and Hornet-Jet won many Drag races over the years on a few Drag strips.
Today as I drive my Hudsons as my 1946 Turbocharged 262 Hudson is my every day driver people say, you bo back to the 50s, And I say No, I have never left them. (A 1951 Super 6 2 door sedan 308 is our Travel car and has been for 46 years.)
And my say is,I would rather Fix Than Fix. Hudsonly Rudy B.
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Years ago I got to check out a Hudson collection and found I liked the 48-49 interior.The wood grain dash and trim gave the car a touch of class along with the pinstriped upholstered seats.While waiting to find a car a got the chance to drive a 54 to a local car show and that did it for me to own one.I was so surprised at how the car steered and drove for a car from the 50's that my search took on a new urgency.A short time later a 48 came up for sale and I bought it getting it on the road a couple of years later and enjoy driving it everywhere.Out of all the different cars I have owned through the years this car is by far my favorite.0
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I'll try and make mine short and sweet. My Uncle Frank had a '51 dark green Pacemaker he purchased new from a Hudson dealer in Elgin, IL. Always loved that car. Hated to see him trade it in on a new '68 Chevy.
Also, back in the summer of 1978 between my junior and senior years in college, I was employed under the Southwestern Co. selling a book door-to-door called the Volume Library (sort of a set of encyclopedias in one book) . My sales area was in northwestern, VA. One fine day I was knocking on doors in the town of Front Royal. I ran across a home that had a beautiful '54 Hudson Hornet in the driveway. To make a long story short, the owner, upon seeing my strong interest in Hudsons, gave me about a 10 mile ride in his Hornet. That was my first ride in a Hudson. I was sold on Hudsons after that.
And yes, the owner of that '54 was "Doc" Daugherty.
Dan
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In 1969 I was stationed at the USCG Air Station at Barbars Point, Oahu. Back in Maine my dad came across a 1953 Hornet sedan that he bought and gave to me when I came home on leave. Back in Hawaii I was reading some car magazine and I spotted a letter to the editor from a Thomas Childs in Maryland in which he mentioned this car club called the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club. Well, I had a Hudson, no matter it was 5000 miles away, so some way or other I managed to contact Mr. Childs and in October 1969 I joined this wonderful club. Turned out to be the best thing I've probably done with my life. Curiously I never met Tom, for some reason or other.
Returning to the states I found out about this fellow in Massachusetts name of Carl Weber and he was having a Hudson meet at his folks house. I got the info and attended the meet and I've been at it ever since.
Lot of years under the bridge - lots of great friends, but we've lost more than we should, but I guess that's what happens when you hang around for 45 years or so.
The 1953 got sold to make room for a 1936 Terraplane coupe that got sold to make room for a 1949 Commodore Six Coupe (with a 1956 308 under the hood) which got sold when I needed money more than I did the car. So goes life.
But because of the great folks in HET I've stayed with the club, despite not having a Hudson for lo these many years. The high point in my long time membership has to be being awarded the Doc & Thelma Daugherty Memorial Award in 2011. I really didn't think I'd done that much for the club. I was swept off my feet at the presentation and still look at the plaque with awe and wonder.
I've been scanning Hudson documents and building an online library for the club for many years now - this is my way of repaying all the friendships I've made over the years.
Oh, yes, one more thing. I keep forgetting to mention this but my association with Hudson goes back to the year I was born - 1937. My dad had at that time a 1926 Hudson, I don't know what body style and for some reason I don't remember coming home from the hospital in it.
But maybe the Hudson virus does bite. My grand-dad had, at sometime in the 1930's, a 1937 Terraplane coupe with the sliding box in the back that he used in his florist business at that time. So my family was no stranger to the breed. I only know of these two Hudson cars from photographs I've come across in the family albums.
I've rambled to long so I'll close by saying thank you to the many, many close H-E-T friends I've made over the years. And remembering with sadness the other great friends who have taken that final journey and are waiting for all of us at that ultra HET meet upstairs. It's been one hell of a ride.
Hudsonly,
Alex B
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I love threads like this, they are my favorite, I think.As a child, I remember listening to the old-timers in my family reminisce about the performance, agility and speed of Hudsons. Two main factions that regularly used the marque were moonshiners and (shortly thereafter) cops. While we didn't man the stills, we were transporters, and the fastest cars around were Hudsons. My grandfather made a lot of runs for Capone in Chicago. The rest of the family was quite active around the rest of the mid-west. Listening to those stories always left me with a bit of mystique concerning the marque.My old man thought so much of them that the first car he ever stole was a Hudson. Probably because his Dad had one at the time, a '51. Joyride it was with the old man's car.I found a step-down in a field in '79, and boy, did I want that car! I got talked out of it though and bought a 55 Ford, instead. "Parts were easier to find", I was told. Ironically, life got in the way and I ended up not ever getting a Hudson till 25 years later. First one I drove was a '51 Hornet Convertible. After that drive, I knew my destiny had finally come to terms with old cars, which have always been a part of my life. I had found my marque, and never looked back.0
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Hi Chris,
Here is my little story. In 1962, when I was 9, my father, who was a bus driver but a super mechanic in his spare times and change cars about every two months, bought a 1951 Hudson Hornet convertible, the one you see in the picture below and that my dad is at the wheel while I am standing in the back with my hands outside... This is the first car he kept so long ( two years) and he raced it a lot in the streets of Montreal...Always said it was the best car he ever had. I kept searching for it for many years but here, in the Quebec province, Hudsons are quite rare. I finaly found a 54 Super Wasp in 2011, just as the first Canadian Chapter was put on.A few months later I went in Albany NY for my first Eastern Regional Meet and met the most extraordinary people there. 2 months later I organized a Meet in Compton and had 12 Hudson, Essex or Terraplane in my driveway! Did not have time to work on my 54 yet. I'm still fixin the garage but should be at it this year. My dream car, of course, would be a 48 to 54 convertible in about any condition... I know that, with my budget, and the Canadian money going down, that dream might never come true but, where there are dreams, there is still hope...Welcome in the Club! Michel
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About four years ago I wanted to get a old muscle car. I was talking to my friend about it as he has a old Jeepster. He told me that he had a Hudson that he lost in his divorce and it is just sitting in her driveway for the past 10 years right where he parked it for her. She didn't drive it or do anything to it as it needed brakes. So we drove by and looked at it and a few weeks of talking her into selling it, she finally agreed to selling me my first Hudson. I was only 21 at the time and the price was a lot cheaper than a muscle car so I decided to buy it and bring her back to life after a long 10 year nap. Four years later, now 25(I'm sure I'm one of the younger Hudson owners lol) I'm still driving the car in the summer and fixing little things here and there in the winter. Another cool thing I found out after I bought the car was that my grandpa used to own a Hudson dealer back in the early 50's till Hudson got bought out. My grandpa loved that I bought the car and he told me many of stories about it. I even got to take him on a few rides before he passed away two years ago. So that is my story on how I got my Hudson.0
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Just graduating from college in 55, needed a car, and a classmate sold me a red 49 SS overdrive for $300. Wrecked it the following labor day driving too tired. Got married with a 49 Studie. Found a 49 with 72K and standard for $100 and installed OD.a few months later. 8 yrs, 2 kids, and active duty and another 70K mi. later gave it to kids up the road for a field car. Bought the 52 Hornet coupe tow car from my racing mechanic and drove it a couple of years until 64 and it wouldn't start in the winter and we needed to get to the hospital any minute for a 3rd kid.
In 92, I met Jack Miller at a gas station in Cobleskill NY, learned about the club, got a Butler Hudson History from my son, and in 98 found a barn fresh Commadore.with some damage and 29K miles. in 04 drove the mostly restored car to the Pitt National, chasing Alex, and got picked by Bill Albright himself. Now I have a 36 Terrorplane, a 40 eight coupe, a 46 and a 47 Pickup, Had a 52 Hornet for 11 yrs, and the Commadore just got to 40K miles, having been to numerous shows, including Springfield, Boston, and Detroit. and have rebuilt several 212, 254, 262 and 308 engines for others and myself, and edit the Hudson/Mohawk Currents newsletter. Having fun in my semi-retirement.
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I bought my first Hudson in 2003 after selling my 70 Shelby gt500 that I had owned for 27 years. I had learned about Hudsons from my dad who had always wanted one but never had one. He had taken me over to Bill Albrights shop sometime in the 80's to see what they looked like. Years later after my dad had passed I remembered his passion for a Hudson and decided I would have one as a way to remember him. I started going by Bills shop often and hanging out learning about them. One day I was looking at a recycler or green sheet ad and saw a 54 Hornet for sale about three or four miles from home. I bought it for 1200 bucks in 2003 and trailered it over for Bill to look at. He could not believe I found a Hudson so close for sale before he did. For some reason he wanted it bad enough to offer me a straight across swap for a nice 54 Wasp 2 door club sedan in driving condition.My car was not running and needed everything including rust repair, but its a 54 Hornet club coupe with twin h and a factory continental kit. I should have jumped at Bills offer but I was snow blind with the Hornet name and thought there must be something special about my car. Instead I started collecting parts to restore it. Now its 2015 and I am almost done with a no expense spared ground up better than new restoration completed all by myself with the exception of the rust repair and engine machine work (boring ect). Everything has been plated, polished, powder coated and painted,adjusted and re adjusted, tweaked and fine tuned. I know nearly every part on the car and what it does and where it goes so I have alot of pride in ownership. I wish my dad and Bill were around to see it as I know they would be proud. For me the hunt for hard to find parts, options and accessories that my car didn't have is exciting and fun. It sucks that exciting and fun costs so much money.) 0
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For me it found me ; over 30 years ago now. I had been told of this '39 Hudson Big Six that had been taken in part exchange at a muscle car showroom over here which didn't please the dealer principal.
I wanted to get a 30's car so went to see it and just fell in love with it ; £300 later it was mine. Had it for a while and then had a major clear out of my life and ended up selling all my cars including my much beloved and much missed 1959 Thunderbird.
Back in 2006 I was laid off from my job and was browsing eBay one day when I saw this 112 that I knew from back in the 80's ; I bid and lost it twice. First time it didn't make reserve ; second time the guy who bought apparently didn't realise what he'd done!
I got a message from the seller saying if I wanted it I could have it for what I'd bid ; I was happy with that so bought it.
9 years later it sits silently on my drive waiting for the day I can afford to do the work it needs to get it back on the road. As time goes by I think that it will never happen and I need to pass it on to someone who can make that happen.
Every time I look at it I remember what it is I love so much about Hudson's and my 112 in particular.
I know that I will have to take that hard decision sooner rather than later ; I'd sooner see my car on the road with someone else than seeing it get poorer and poorer each year.
Even when it inevitably has to go I will still retain my love of Hudson's.
The 112 has a look that you either love or you don't. I do ; I think it's one of the prettiest cars on 1939!
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1962, I answered an add for a 1929 Essex FORD. That is what it was titled. I bought it, even tho it was TOTALLY disassembled.Ford clubs were no help, they never heard of a Marvel Carb or aluminum transmission case, .found out it was a 1929 Essex Coupe. Have had many of them in various states of disrepair but have liked Essexs' ever since.0
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I bought my 1928 Essex in 1956, still have it, after doing half a million miles. marvellous car with great character. Have owned a '35 Terraplane special, incredible performer, '39 CC8 l.w.b luxury personified., 2 1929 Hudson 7 passenger sedans, which are the ULTIMATE Hudson, real classics. . Bought my '54 Jet Liner in '71, and '53 Hornet in 1998, still have them. Hudsons were always different, great performers, and the H.E.T. club is a great community worldwide.Geoff0
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Came home from the hospital in one in 1949.... my grandparents 1948 Commodore. I still remember the old photos of my Grandmother, in her fox stole, standing in the driveway with the Ruby Red sedan in the back round. I became ill on military duty in the late 80s and when I recovered my wife said "go get an old car to enjoy". I took her to see a 48 Commodore. She nearly broke into tears... She thought it was the ugliest car she had ever seen. She liked a Model A Ford Tudor, though (which we still have). A couple of years later in 1991 I won her over on the 53 Hornet Coupe that is also still with us. I just added a 1978 AMC Concord coupe 232 4sp to the lot.
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Back in high school a friend drove an old ('41) Cadillac limo that he got from an elderly lady. I thought it was a lot of fun especially with all that room in the back seat. Well about 15 years later I was walking home from the ball game with a friend and passed a used car dealer that had a Hudson 4-door Stepdown on the lot. I really liked the roomy interior so I inquired about buying it. Well the lot owner said the Hudson was not for sale but he did have other old cars that he could let go. I passed on his offer as I wanted the Hudson. Shortly after I bought a '74 - 1/2 MGB from my brother. Well about 2 weeks after I bought the MGB the Hudson was now for sale. RATS! I could not justify with my wife to buying the Hudson without first selling the MGB. Needless to say that Hudson got away. 25 years later I no longer had the MGB (nor the wife) and I found my 53 Hornet on Craigslist. The non-working odometer is reading 32K. I replaced the brakes, carpet and tires, put in seat belts and rebuilt the fuel pump and carbs. It still needs a little work that I need to have a mechanic look at. But the good thing is the (new) wife and the grand kids love riding in it.0
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I was 8 years old when Dad came home with a brand new 51 Hudson Hornet 4 door with overdrive. That was the first and only Hudson I recall seeing growing up except at the dealer. Mom didn't like the color so it got repainted two tone. And the Burbank Cal. C & P Hudson dealer swapped the interior with another Hudson on the lot to satisfy my mother. The only ticket Mom ever got was driving the Hornet. My younger brother and I had plenty of room in the back seat. On trips we shared who slept under the back window or set on the middle divider. Enjoyed going to drive-in theaters and watch the cartoons and the1st feature film but we always had to lay down on back seat and go to sleep for second show if we wanted to go to drive in again. I was with him in the Los Angles area when he started drag racing a Oldsmobile. Close race. The Olds must have gotten to close to us because Dad pulls out his Police badge and pulls the young man over and begins lecturing him. That Hornet must have been fast because on trips there was no one able to keep up. One late night on a trip north on old hyw 99 Dad must of decided on a bonzi run because I remember waking up when he stopped at a friends country house, he jumps out of the car excited to show his friend that the speedometer needle was stuck at 120 MPH. I didn't know what happened to that car until a few years ago when my Uncle and I went to look at a 52 Hornet in Las Vegas. I asked him if he new what happened to Dads Hornet. He told me he bought it from Dad and it had Twin-H on it when he got it. My uncle and I approached in anticipation to look at the 52. Before the garage door was 1/2 open I said I'll take it. Fell in love with it instantly. Uncle would have bought it if I didn't want it. I have had several 47 Hudson PUs. Currently still have the 52 Hornet and a 47 Hudson PU. Dad also had 46 PU with 212 and 47 PU with Hudson eight engine. I used to do wheel stands with that one as a High School student.
My Uncle told me about a bet he had with a fellow serviceman. They bet pink slips (car titles) to see whos car was fastest. The serviceman had a new 57 Ford and was sure his Ford was faster than a old 51 Hornet. The race was on from the base to a servicemens hangout some 50 miles on a windy road. My uncle arrived at the hangout, order food and finished eating before the Ford arrived. He let a buddy that road with him drive the Hornet back to base as he drove his new Ford back. He didn't intend keeping the Ford and a week later he returned the Ford to the serviceman.
Lee O'Dell0 -
It was a Hudson
thing. My father was 6’4’’ tall. With a Roman nose that could have sliced
bread, he was as thin as a rail. Born in the South before there were automobiles,
he never left home without a hat (perhaps part of his attachment to Hudsons). Retired as an
accountant with the Panama Canal Company he returned to the States in ’39, to buy
a four door ‘40 Super Six which saw us through the War, and rationing and on into
Korean Conflict before giving way. Grey,
and otherwise no nonsense, it carried us over miles of Georgia secondary
roads flushing chickens and Guinea hens from both road and shoulders. In it, I
learned a lot- why Claude Pepper was a "scoundrel," how to fish for bream, the meaning of ‘circumference.’
Its claim to fame however was in a collision with a truck belonging the Eli
Witt Candy and Tobacco Company which scattered candy all over the street. With
the two eight year old boys in the back seat forbidden to pick up any.Finally, it gave
Super Sixes of the day had rubber floor mats, which we boys
way to an equally stripped (used) ’50 Super Six Brougham with “three on the
tree,” and no overdrive, it too made trips through Georgia and to the beach, or
fishing. With my sister and I playing “perdidle” at night, or competing to
complete the alphabet using letters from road signs, we saw a lot of “Burma
Shave’ and “See Rock City”
signs on the road and barns we passed. Growing older, friends and I would plead
for my father to “scratch off” – at which point he’d reach over and scratch one
of us instead.
quickly learned to lift in the back behind the driver, so that unseen we could
remove the drain plug. A stout stick intermittently stuck through the hole so
that it could drag along the “skid proof´ slag pavement rounded out the game.
Held in place just long enough to worry the driver it was a great diversion - though
short lived!After my father’s passing, Mother bought a used ‘51 Hornet
Going back through family papers after her death and the
Coupe in Texas Tan. And what a car it was for a sixteen year old, just licensed
to drive. With the air cleaner off it may the greatest of sounds. Drag racing flathead
Mercurys, climbing roads on red clay hills after a good rain, or sneaking off to
go hunting or summers to the beach- for
us kids it was liberating. Always short
of gas money we’d walk the road beside the car looking for soft drink bottles
to return for the deposit. At two cents a bottle, thirty cents a gallon for gas
meant a lot of bottles to get home from the beach. Mother never could understand why it got such
poor gas mileage. Thus her next car was a Ford Anglia. We never told her, but
we must have added to the impetus for today’s odometer regulation.
move to Louisiana,
I found a gasoline rationing card, and my father’s obituary. Not too
surprisingly the two owner’s of the Hudson
dealership in Tallahassee
were among his pall bearers. In 2004, I called one of them, then in his ‘90’s
to tell him I’d bought a ’51 Hornet. His reply, “Why?” might have been
expected, had he not kept his sister’s Jet into the late 90’s. And oh yes, the
manager of the local Eli Witt Tobacco and Candy Company was a pall bearer too.
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Saw an ad in the local classifieds for a 1937 Terraplane coupe, had little knowledge of Hudson but the fact that it wasn't your more common Ford or Chev and having always liked the style of late 30's coupes I bought it, drove it for a bit and then re-restored it as it had a poor amateur job. That was in 1983, I was 19 years old .I have 15,000 miles on the Terraplane now and 4 more Hudsons in the stable. Hudsons and the HET fit me just right!0
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Aug 1965 I found the 28 Essex Coupe parked up. Owner said "it ran when parked in 1960" & that the battery was new 6 months before it was parked. £8.00 ($16.00) later it was ours. Charged up the battery, put new gas in the carb & pulled on the starter knob until it fired up (much coughing, spluttering & smoke) & we were good to go. Nearly 50 years later & with a lot of help from my friends ( especially Geoff Clark & Geoff Bertram) I'm still driving it. Lynda turned up 2 years later & we are both still enjoying the Coupe even after all this time.
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Hudson's in the family started it all. My dad was drafted in WWII, when he was honorably discharged he went to art school in Minneapolis on the GI Bill. At some point he was working at Charlie's Café and decided to buy a car. Postwar there were not many choices in used cars. His find was a 1942 Hudson. He noted that something was mounted on the roof at one time, so it likely was used as police car or taxi through the war. He parted with $600.00 for the car. He drove it all through art school and beyond and told me many interesting stories. He could sleep by laying down across the back seat. It could carry 13 art students and their supplies to go out painting in New Mexico. He said it could keep right up with a Cadillac going down the road. One day there was a loud noise under the hood and it lost power. He drove on and for a few more days in Minneapolis. Took it in to a shop. When he came back they showed him a chunk of piston pulled out of the oil pan. They put it back together and had to mill the head. He said it now accelerated faster than anyone thought it should. He kept in till 1953. I found out later that my Mom's father had a car from the teens clean through the late 30's. She said she was embarrassed by it being the oldest car in the neighborhood. Then he found a deal somewhere. He came home with a used 1938 Terraplane. She said we went from the oldest car in the neighborhood to the newest. Me, I read and re-read Don Butler's book for years. I wanted a Hudson. I took a long time but in 2006 I decided that I had better either try to find one or give up the idea. I purchased a 1949 Super Six. I have done my best to take care of it. Hudson's design and quality always impress me. Also Hudson's effort to survive through the depression.
Drew
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FYI
I grew up in a Hudson neighborhood where the hood lights intriged me as a boy. My Father never drove so when early teen my neighbor's garage light came on I cross lot over to watch him work on his Hudson. He began collecting them so naturally when 16 I bought a 8 Cyl Sdn from him but the other kids with hot rods laughed at me,. At the time Hudson was merging and people began selling them in fear they wouldnt get parts anymore. I bought a 50 Pacemaker cpe with Edmunds dual carbs and 4.55 gears and totally suprised myself how fast it was light to light whipping the other kids hot rods, and even their Dad's new cars... That street racing reputation led to Stock Car racing from rhe same neighbor building me a Terraplane. A 4dr Sdn...At first I was embarrased to drive it against all the V8 Cpes but it held its own until the 212 blew up. Then we stock a Hornet in it and the laughter stopped and the win's began.
To shorten this story the Sdn dominated so eventually was stripped of the Twin H, tore down many times worping the heads, they demanded install a smaller 262 Mtr to level the field against the v8's then barred us when still won..Hard to believe the Hornet was stock from highway cars that we bought.. Eventually I built a Modified Hornet with Cliiford Parts until Tracks dropped the 6 Cyl modified Class so I went to super Late model Camaro's. At first I stock car raced Hudson Fri & Sat nites and Drag raced my Hudson on Sunday, Drag racing got a lot of Trophys but Stock Car Racing was far more exciting and paid Money so no brainer to stop drag racing. I recall winning the Heat Race,.Semi Event, and the Main Feature often that paid qa whopping $ 69; I think what made the V8 Cpes so mad they were modified sounding like really cammed, and getting beat by a 6 infuriated them...
Decades later I went back heavily to my roots with Hudson 's and an experimental drag car....Im partial to 37's because of trashing some on the Track, and was my Racer Number, but like them all. Actually we drove highway Hudsons all year around for decades until our kids were teenagers....Well thats my story...Short version.............
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Can't edit this earlier piece, so here's chapter 2, which cemented my already strong affinity for these critters: Our local version of Smokey Yunick, who built and ran two Hudsons at our local 5/8 mile high-banked track, built an 8-cylinder engine for me, which was ready just after I graduated High School. Put it in my "new" '38H sedan, and started blowing away the local Olds 88s and such. Took it to the drag strip north of Chicago, where it won the stock class on all four occasions. Turned the quarter at 84 mph and 17 seconds. Pretty cool experience for a 17 year old! (I still have the trophies).In 1950 Mom went back to teaching full time and needed a car. One of Dad's brothers had a '37 Terraplane brougham for sale ... $295. The folks bought it for Mom. I was 15. Went back to school in the Fall and told my home-room seat mate the folks had bought a Terraplane. Turns out he had bought one too that summer. His older brother was a long time Hudnut and had filled him with Hudson lore over the years. Thus I got the same treatment, learning about Hudson design, engineering and performance. Next Fall when I turned 16 I started driving Mom's Terraplane evenings and weekends. Quickly found out it would beat most of the Fords, and enjoyed driving something that was a little different. Lots more to the story, as many of you know, but this is how it started. Four years and six Hudsons later, we sold our last "regular driver" Hudson, a '51 Hornet convertible. Our current Hornet is an identical car except OD instead of Hydramatic.
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Ol racer reminded me of Stan Lupka from Johnson City, NY He ran at 5 Mi Point out of Binghamton. When his Twin H beat everybody, the boys tried to get rid of it, so they limited the track to 300 CI.
Stan put a 262 crank in the Hornet block and got it under 300 but they tore him down and wouldn't let him run the 308 block. So he put the big crank in a 262 and bored it to 299.9. Track champion for years, and is in Dusty Doyle Hall of Fame.
'Sweet 16' was always yellow 'so they can see me in the dust'
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