Rarer than an Italia ?

Old Fogey UK
Old Fogey UK Expert Adviser
edited December 2020 in HUDSON

Here are a few sneak preview pics of a car that belongs to a friend who isn't an HET or ROC member.

He's asked me to advertise it for him in WTN.

It's a 1933 Terraplane 6 Windoverette Sports.

In 1932-33 Hudson commissioned about 40-50 of these from the well known British coachbuilders Windovers Limited.

This car is one of only 3 known survivors and is probably the most original of them.

I'll be putting the ad in WTN next week but if anyone's interested before then, private message me and I'll give you my friend's email address so you contact him for more details.

He says he can arrange an independent appraisal and shipping if needed.






Comments

  • PaulButler
    PaulButler Administrator
    I feel an extra ticket for tonight's Euro Millions draw coming on. This and the '39 ...
  • charles4d
    charles4d Expert Adviser
    Good luck
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    These were commissioned by the Hudson main office on Jefferson Ave.?  Or by the folks at the assembly plant in London?

    Are there any additional models or special bodies that were commissioned by the main office in the U.S.?
  • Old Fogey UK
    Old Fogey UK Expert Adviser
    Jon B said:
    These were commissioned by the Hudson main office on Jefferson Ave.?  Or by the folks at the assembly plant in London?

    Are there any additional models or special bodies that were commissioned by the main office in the U.S.?
    I think it was arranged at the British end, Jon. All 3 survivors are in the UK.
  • Old Fogey UK
    Old Fogey UK Expert Adviser
    My son who is a professional museum model builder repainted the Terraplane logos on the hubcaps of this car - and did it freehand using sable brushes.
  • dholck
    dholck Expert Adviser
    Fogey; good on him - it is hard to find anybody to do that painting in the U.S. anymore.  I found a place that made a vinyl adhesive mask for me; I've had them on the car for years with no problems.  It is especially good for hubcaps that have been rechromed since it makes the letter edges crisp and clear, even if they have been "muddied" by replating. 


  • Old Fogey UK
    Old Fogey UK Expert Adviser
    dholck said:
    Fogey; good on him - it is hard to find anybody to do that painting in the U.S. anymore.  I found a place that made a vinyl adhesive mask for me; I've had them on the car for years with no problems.  It is especially good for hubcaps that have been rechromed since it makes the letter edges crisp and clear, even if they have been "muddied" by replating. 


    Shut up, you'll put my son out of business ! :D
    Seriously, it took him many hours to do it and he only took it on as a favour to my old friend.
    Will (son) did the Hudson lettering on my hubcaps (because he owes The Bank of Dad big time)  and tried to repaint my radiator cowling badge. He failed on that precisely because the rechromers had buffed it too aggressively before plating and that blurred the lettering.
  • PaulButler
    PaulButler Administrator
    A potted history of Windovers can be found here:

    https://speedreaders.info/7477-history-windovers-16001955/
  • AnnaCarin
    AnnaCarin Member
    edited December 2020
    Don Butler mentions Windovers on page 155, with pics of both the 1932 Open Sports, and the 1932 Sports Saloon. The Sports Saloon was advertised in Sweden too; in April 1933 Hudson's general agent here ran a couple of newspaper ads for it.

    "An elegant sports type special model. Extra roomy and comfortable. Essex Terraplane Sport Salon, 4-seater, english-made body with sliding roof, luggage compartment and steel wire wheels."
    The pic in the ad matches Butler's 1932 Sports Salon exactly (note the louvers - slanted in the ad but vertical in Fogey's photos of a 1933 Open Sports), so clearly it was a 1932 model that was offered in Sweden in April 1933. Maybe the British Hudson plant wanted to get rid of last year's model?
  • Old Fogey UK
    Old Fogey UK Expert Adviser
    There are no known surviving Sports Saloons.
    The Swedish ad may show "artistic license " rather than accurate representation because my friend's car is titled January 1933 and so is probably a 1932 model itself.
    According to an article in the ROC's magazine a while back, it's unlikely that Hudson's full order was ever supplied and total production probably didn't exceed a couple of dozen, all made in 1932.
  • Thank you for the additional information, I'm adding it to my files!
  • Anyone know what finally became of the Hornet that was the "X" something?  Done around the same time as the Italia but was only a one-of.  Last I heard it had been found in California.  
  • onerare39
    onerare39 Expert Adviser, Member
    Look in the new HET roster, page 161, bottom left side.
  • MickeyB said:
    Anyone know what finally became of the Hornet that was the "X" something?  Done around the same time as the Italia but was only a one-of.  Last I heard it had been found in California.  
    It’s undergoing a full restoration as we speak. The current owner is in Indiana.
  • railknight
    railknight Expert Adviser
    edited December 2020
    Is the "X something" the Hudson X-161,1955 prototype?  If so, that was an attempt at a full size Italia complete with four doors.

      
  • 50C8DAN
    50C8DAN Senior Contributor
    This was a really cool prototype of what might have been!  The doors are different on each side, one has cut in to the roof and the other is a standard door frame arrangement.  Put in the never to be Hudson V8 at about 370 cu in and away you go!
  • railknight
    railknight Expert Adviser
    Here's the other side of the X-161.

  • 7XPacemaker
    7XPacemaker Senior Contributor
    I remember when A club member from Ohio had that car in is garage in the 80’s. 
  • jjbubaboy
    jjbubaboy Senior Contributor
    edited December 2020
    Windoverette, now that's really cool.
    Cept...I don't think I could shift with my left hand!!  LOL
    Jeff
  • Old Fogey UK
    Old Fogey UK Expert Adviser
    jjbubaboy said:
    Windoverette, now that's really cool.
    Cept...I don't think I could shift with my left hand!!  LOL
    Jeff
    Well, I've learned to shift with my right !  :D
  • jjbubaboy
    jjbubaboy Senior Contributor
    edited December 2020
    "Touché"!
    Good one.... :D
  • lostmind
    lostmind Expert Adviser
    I remember when A club member from Ohio had that car in is garage in the 80’s. 
    Elwin Muzzey, he was the editor of the Western reserve Hudson newsletter.
  • 7XPacemaker
    7XPacemaker Senior Contributor
    yep, he was a great guy-
  • eddiehudson
    eddiehudson Senior Contributor, Member
    Hal Denman from NY bought the X 161 for $2000 in I believe the 1960s. It had a Caddy motor and Hal had Steve Sessions from Long Island rebuild a 1954 308 Twin H out of a parts car in exchange for NOS Hudson parts. The motor sat under his work bench until Hal sold the X 161 to the Draggone Brothers for $25000 who flipped it for $100,000???? I knew Hal since 1977 and never got to see the X 161 in person.
  • Jay_G
    Jay_G Expert Adviser
    I just recently purchased Paul O'Neil's 1926 Anderson Bodied Hudson.  As far as we know it is the only survivor.  Just got it running a few months ago.  Great driving car, and you have to love the golf club door and rumble seat.
  • How about a photo of the Anderson bodied car?
  • Beautiful resto of the X-161 but why the black stripe down the middle?
  • railknight
    railknight Expert Adviser
    edited December 2020
    MickeyB said:
    Beautiful resto of the X-161 but why the black stripe down the middle?

    Good question!  According to the book, "Hudson, the Postwar Years," the X-161 went though numerous ownerships after it was sold by Frank Spring's wife after his passing (Frank Spring, Chief of Hudson styling, saved the X-161 and Italia No. 1 prototype before AMC was going to scrap them).  On page 105 of this book it reads, "The X-161 spent many hard years (apparently in California) before being tracked down and restored by H-E-T club member Elliott Myerson.  He found the car in a bad state of repair.  It had been abandoned and derelict.  It needed a tremendous amount of work, including the installation of a Hudson engine--a Cadillac V-8 had been installed.  The aluminum body was dreadful, the result of children climbing all over it.  Once the body was repaired, Myerson painted the X-161 an Italia like cream, instead of its original dark green.  Myerson sold the car to another H-E-T club member, Elwin Muzzey, who later sold the X-161 to its present owner, Hal Denman (book was published in 1977 and this supports what "eddiehudson" commented above about Mr. Denman). 

    Perhaps Elliott Myerson bears responsibility for the black stripe when he painted this car the "Italia" cream color (or, was the black stripe also there when the car was dark green?  The mystery continues!).  Lastly, there's a photo in the book of the car with the black stripe and cream color and the caption reads underneath it, "Only contemporary photograph of the stillborn X-161, a 1955 prototype."