1933 Hudson - value?

Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in HUDSON
I have come across a 1933 Hudson Essex Terraplane 2 dr coupe that is for sale. This car, I believe, has the shorter wheelbase. It has a Super 6 cylinder motor, suicide doors, and soft&hard wheel cover. The car has about 50K actual miles..and is in very close to original condition. It drives well.



Any idea of what this car may be worth? What would be a good offer on the car?



I appreciate any information...thanks!

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Where is a good place to go to find out more about this car? Thanks!
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    You've come to the right place, Greg -- but there's no 'pat' answer for this. Value depends upon an awful lot of things and even then -- in the case of something this rare -- it's difficult to arrive at. So few of these cars are sold every year (the quantity is probably in the low single digits) that no 'standard' can be established.



    What's he asking for it? I'd guess that, if the car is solid (no extensive rust or dents) and all there, you might offer him $5,000 for it and see what happens. If you get it cheaper, great; if he asks more, he may not be out of line! With something like this, it's strictly supply versus demand.



    What part of the country are you located in? There may be someone with one of these cars nearby, that you could talk to. And, you could view their car to see if indeed the Terraplane you're looking at is original and in good shape.
  • MikeWA
    MikeWA Senior Contributor
    Bear in mind that you are going to be competing with the hot rodders on this one- any early 30's coupe is in great demand with them, and they're pretty free with their money when they find something they want.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I have a picture of the car...Is there a way to post this picture on this thread?



    I guess what I am trying to get is a fair market value for this car...what would it bring on an auction?
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    There are two ways to post photos here.



    First, you can click GO ADVANCED when you are ready to post, and you will find a place to directly upload photos. But look at the chart there: this will only upload a certain maximum size jpg photo.



    The other way is to post a photo at any website on the internet and then post the URL here (click the little yellow box on the posting form, to list the URL and have the photo post). There are two places to post photos that are related to this Hudson Forum: first, click PHOTO GALLERY right at the top of this page. Or, you can go to the Hudson photo album site and upload a series of photos that will stay in your dedicated photo album. That's at http://groups.msn.com/HudsonEssexTerraplaneBulletinBoard/_whatsnew.msnw
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    Auction value is extreamly subjective. Even Fair market value is very subjective because there are not many 33 Essex Terraplane 8 coupes out there for comparisons or for sale, the owners I know who have them keep them. Get the car because you want it not because of it's percieved investment value. IMHO
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Bill Jennings sold a rough, but fairly complete long wheelbase 6 coupe 2 years ago for $3500.00, There was a incomplete 8 coupe sold for $5000.00 several years ago in Colo. and there was a Terp. 8 Coupe for sale in the WTN several years ago for $25.000.00. In the 43 years I have had my Terp 8 Coupe, I have maybe seen 3 for sale and only 1 was running, so they are the rarest, maybe 8 or 9 known to exist. The 6 cyl. coupes are about the same. Not many left.. Amusing thing is most people who know what these cars where are either dead, dying or dont care. You also cannot speculate what Auction prices would be as I have never seen a coupe come up for auction. I do know that a 8 cylinder convrt. was bid to around $60.000.00 several years ago, but they are much more common than than either 6 or 8 cyl. coupes. Anyway I would snatch it if it is decent.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Picture of car at:



    http://groups.msn.com/HudsonEssexTerraplaneBulletinBoard/1933hudsoncoupe.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=4213
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    That Is Not A Couipe, But As Two Door Sedan, Where Would You Put The Rumble Seat In This Car?????
  • PAULARGETYPE
    PAULARGETYPE Senior Contributor
    Yes Bill But A Nice Looking Short Wheelbase 2 Door
  • oldhudsons
    oldhudsons Senior Contributor
    AND the one you're referring to was a "made up" T8 conv. as the guy who built it couldn't find an original T8 conv. so put a T6 conv. body on a T8 sedan chassis.

    There is at least one other of these extant that was created in the same way.

    The 2 big problems as far as authencity is concerned is finding a V front 8 cyl. radiator, the other, getting a T8 doored hood (T6 has louvres).
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    What would this car be considered then? It is a 1933 Essex-Terraplane 2 door...

    Thanks
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    A 1933 Essex-Terraplane brougham. (Referred to by other car companies as a 'coach' or a '2-door sedan'.)
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Sites likes manheimgold.com etc might help give a general idea, but as the others say, there are not enough of them to establish a reliable price guide and supply vs demand applies.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    That car is the same one that has been for sale at least twice in the past several years or at least I think it is. I had one 30 years ago with side mounts and trunk rack. !!Parts car!!. As with all 1932 or 1933 Hudson products they are not very common, but another turns up every year or so. I would say that it is worth a minimum of $25,000.00 at least if it is the same car and is in nice shape. GO for it. And if you conntact Bill Jennings in Va., I bet he can tell you the story on it if he knew where it was now. Bill has 3 or 4Terraplanes.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    tombia,



    Where did you see the car for sale? Do you know what they were asking for it? Was it the same style of car?



    This car is part of an estate...so I don't think that it was for sale...

    It is in very nice condition - needs some TLC...but all and all, very drive-able.



    Thanks
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    Greg:



    Here's a 1933 EIGHT brougham for sale, but a whale of a larger asking price than we've been discussing. http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/essex/terraplane/475712.html I know the car, it was owned in Northern Virginia, and might (for all I know) have been one of Bill Jennings'. It is an absolutely original low-mileage car (original maroon paint though it's faded). I guess I'm a bit amazed at the asking price (this is in 'convertible territory") but it sure is a nice car.



    I assume the one you're looking at, is priced much lower than this. However....remember, if it 'needs work', that work is gonna cost you money and time. If it needs a lot of work, you will sink thousands into it. So, a somewhat more expensive initial price might get you something that would need little or no work to be in show condition.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I am a little confused on the Eight vs. Six...is this talking about the motor - 8 cylinder vs. 6 cylinder? The current owner mentioned that this had a 'Super 6' motor? Does this sound right?

    Thanks! I appreciate all of the input ...
  • mars55
    mars55 Senior Contributor
    Greg Bronk wrote:
    I am a little confused on the Eight vs. Six...is this talking about the motor - 8 cylinder vs. 6 cylinder? The current owner mentioned that this had a 'Super 6' motor? Does this sound right?

    Thanks! I appreciate all of the input ...



    When they talk about "Eight vs. Six" they are talking about the motor i.e. 8 cylinder vs. 6 cylinder. Hudson refered to their Six cylinder motors as a 'Super 6' starting about 1916.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Ok - that is what I thought...



    This car has a 6 cylinder engine in it...



    Seems like most posts to this topic mention an 8 cylinder engine. Was a 6 cylinder engine in this type of car rare?
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    1933 was the only year that Terraplane offered an eight cylinder, and the combination of a large, powerful engine bolted to a small, lightweight car had the effect of creating one of the first 'muscle cars'. I'm not sure that production figures for 8's versus 6's still exist (tragically, most of Hudson's records were dumped when they merged with Nash in '54). But I get the feeling that, because 'the word was out' that an 8-cyl. Terraplane was the car to buy that year, the eights were not that rare in '33. However, I'm fairly sure they were outnumbered by sixes.



    (One famous '33 Terraplane Eight customer was an Indiana gentleman named John Dillinger, who found the car to be extremely beneficial in his line of work.) http://www.geocities.com/hydey6/terraplane.html



    Total Terraplane non-truck sales in '33 were only 38,150 according to Alex Burr's Hudson Handbook; 1933 was not a particularly good year for any manufacturers. So, the term 'rare' is relative.
  • oldhudsons
    oldhudsons Senior Contributor
    no, more of the 6 cylinder model, denoted as an "ESSEX-TERRAPLANE 6" were made than the more expensive "ESSEX-TERRAPLANE 8" as 1933 was the worst year of "The Great Depression" so $$$$ "tight".

    Most historians feel the '32-'33 E-T series saved Hudson from going bankrupt as the sales of the Hudson cars "tanked"!

    The E-T 8 is highly regarded by Hudson aficionados as their performance was stunning - John Dillinger used several of them even gave one to his girl friend.
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    A chapter member has an original 33 T8 RS Coupe and I can tell you it is a hot car. I was following him in my 50 Pacemaker once (a car almost 20 years newer mind you) and he left the stop sign with a burst of acceleration that literally blew the hat off his head out the window and left me trying to follow him like a fat man rulling uphill to catch a trolley, because Id swear he was up to 55mph (in 35 mph zone) in 3 seconds flat. That car if you look at it closely the car is mostly engine and chassis with a light body sort of tacked on as an afterthought. According to Butler the Terraplane had a better power to weight ratio than the '32 Ford V8. Too bad they didn't make more of them, or ones big enough for a tall guy like me. Of course if they had made more most of them would've been rodded by now (instead of the '32-'33 Ford coupes) with the old mill under-appreciated.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Aaron D. IL wrote:
    A chapter member has an original 33 T8 RS Coupe and I can tell you it is a hot car. I was following him in my 50 Pacemaker once (a car almost 20 years newer mind you) and he left the stop sign with a burst of acceleration that literally blew the hat off his head out the window and left me trying to follow him like a fat man rulling uphill to catch a trolley, because Id swear he was up to 55mph (in 35 mph zone) in 3 seconds flat. That car if you look at it closely the car is mostly engine and chassis with a light body sort of tacked on as an afterthought. According to Butler the Terraplane had a better power to weight ratio than the '32 Ford V8. Too bad they didn't make more of them, or ones big enough for a tall guy like me. Of course if they had made more most of them would've been rodded by now (instead of the '32-'33 Ford coupes) with the old mill under-appreciated.



    Who would that be?. Always nice to know who else has one. After owning mine for 42 years I can I can go along with that., BUT that heavy engine sure doesnt make it handle real good/ I have driven both 6 and 8 and can tell you the 6 is nicer on the road. Mine has been in the family since new.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    not knowing all that much about hudsons in particular but into all old cars in general, that looks like a solid $10,000 car as a start. looks like an awsome car.
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    tombia wrote:
    Who would that be?. Always nice to know who else has one. After owning mine for 42 years I can I can go along with that., BUT that heavy engine sure doesnt make it handle real good/ I have driven both 6 and 8 and can tell you the 6 is nicer on the road. Mine has been in the family since new.



    Tom - that would be Linton Richard of IL. Chicago Milwaukee chapter. His is an original mostly unrestored car.
  • 7XPacemaker
    7XPacemaker Senior Contributor
    Jon B wrote: »
    1933 was the only year that Terraplane offered an eight cylinder, and the combination of a large, powerful engine bolted to a small, lightweight car had the effect of creating one of the first 'muscle cars'. I'm not sure that production figures for 8's versus 6's still exist (tragically, most of Hudson's records were dumped when they merged with Nash in '54)



    I asked Carl Weber about production numbers on my '32 Essex at the nationals this year. What he had told me was that there was a fire and the records and production numbers were burnt beyond recognition. If what he said is true, there is no way to determine how many rolled off of the line in 1932-33.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    RE: JOHN DILLINGER, true or not I saw some where on the web that he actually wrote Hudson a letter telling them that when he stold a car it would always be a Hudson
  • oldhudsons
    oldhudsons Senior Contributor
    Read John Toland's "The Dillinger Days".

    An HET member in Ft. Collins, Colo. has a '33 T8 sd. used by Dillinger in Chicago. The police staked out a dentist's office where Dillinger had an appt. but upon arrival he "smelled a rat" & left whereupon was chased & shot at. This T8 still has a bullet in the firewall from that chase. I think he has all the documentation.

    He's been trying for a long time to find the '34 Hudson the Dillinger Gang drove to Tucson (from whence, after capture, he was extradited back to Ind., put in the Crown Point jail, and then made his famous escape using a carved wood "gun").
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This is great information guys...thanks!
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