THE HUDSON TRIANGLE · 2020. 8. 24. · One of our recent Western Regional Meets was near Yosemite...

February/March 2012

HET Historical Society - Moving Forward

THE HUDSON TRIANGLE Digital Supplement

Exclusively for members of the Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society.

A 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization Volume 14 Issue 1

1953 Hudson Hornet Hollywood Hardtop

6 Cylinders — 145 Hp

124” W/B

308 CID

Photographed at the 2008 Al-California Meet

February/March 2012


The Starting Line

Recently I had the chance to go through some of the older WTN’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. What a treasure trove of information. Not just HET Club News, but HMCC history. Thanks to D.J. Kava, Art Adams, Doc Daugherty and many others, it is great read-ing. So, if you are interested in the history of the Hudson Motor Car Company, i.e. its people, its products and its facilities, take a few minutes (or

hours) and enjoy the read.

If you do not have any of the earlier WTN’s, watch the swap meets and the WTN classified

ads for an opportunity.

One of our recent Western Regional Meets was near Yosemite Park. Driving a Hudson through Yosemite is quite an experience. There are al-most as many people photographing the car as

are photographing the spectacular scenery.

Anyway, on the way to the Park, we stopped for lunch at Apple Annie’s Cafe in Turlock. On the way out to the cars after eating, we met a fellow that used to live near Lost Hills on Hwy 46 just off I-5. He said that back in 1954, he was at a ser-vice station in Lost Hills and a ’54 Pontiac pulled in steaming and boiling over. When asked what was wrong, the driver said the he was trying to

keep up with a Hudson!

We now have a new year to strengthen the

memory of an unusual automobile.

Bob

Dedicated to

Preserving the

History of Hudson Motor Cars

Departments

The Starting Line 2

Behind the Wheel 3

Letters 11

Hudson Happening 12

The Swap Shop 14

___________

History

1953 HHH Front Cover

The Hudson Story, Part lIl 4

Ben Ellerbeck Part II 8

Word from Britain 9

McKean County Raceway 10

This Month 12

Jack Petty 13

Dark Side of Racing 16

Twin-H Power 18

Historical Society Projects

HMCC Research Project 9

Library Story 14

Historical Society, Inc.

Board of Directors 19

Archives

From the Historical Society Library 17

Membership

How to Reach Us 3

New Members 19

Membership Application 20

___________ © 2011

February/March 2012


Behind the Wheel With Mike

First, thank you to all of the members of our Society. Without your continuing sup-port, the work we are doing, to pre-serve the Hudson Motor Car Compa-ny legacy would be

impossible.

Someone once said the only thing that is certain, is change. Boy, in the world we live in today, that is so true. On the international front, car brands continue to disappear. In recent times Mercury and now SAAB are

gone. And, the HETHS world is changing.

Presently the Hostettler Hudson Museum in

Shipshewana, Indiana is closed. There have been some management changes and for now it has been announced that the museum will open again in the spring. Presently it is opened for special events only. The future of this facility is uncertain. We are watching the events closely as the museum building not only houses Mr. Hostettler’s beautiful Hudson collection, but it also holds the HETHS li-

brary.

Your board of directors, officers, and support staff has been meeting on an almost monthly basis via telephone conference calls. Areas

the directors are looking at are:

The accessibility of the library and its

security are being addressed.

The membership donation structure will

see changes.

A new or at least rejuvenated goal for the

HETHS will be announced.

A freshened image for the HETHS is in

the works as well.

The specifics of all of these changes will be

announced this summer, both in the HET Club publication, the White Triangle News, and the HETHS publication, the Hudson Tri-angle. It will be an exciting time and I think

most of you will welcome the new direction.

Remember, battery charged, air in the tires, gas in the Hudson, and off to a regional meet and the International Meet in Gettys-

burg. See you there!

Take care,

Mike

How to Reach Us

Officers

President: Mike Cherry 3 Silver Queen Court Park City, Utah 84060 (435) 657-0443 [email protected]

Vice President: David Stevens P.O. Box 309 Whitehall, MI 49461-0309 (231) 740-6610 (cell) [email protected]

Assistant Vice President: Larry Kennedy 9350 Vandergriff Road Indianapolis, IN 46239 (317) 862-2020 [email protected]

Secretary: Laurie Fromm 132 Creighton Lane Rochester, NY 14612 (585) 723-8669 [email protected]

Treasurer: Dick Burgdorf 3456 Judith Ridge Rd. Imperial, MO 63052-3910 (636) 942-2500 [email protected]

Membership: Carmen LaFlamme 111 Besaw Road Richmond, Vermont 05477 (802) 434-4155 [email protected]

Editor: Bob Ross 150 South Michillinda Ave. Sierra Madre, CA 91024 (626) 355-8747 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]







February/March 2012


The Hudson Story, Part III:

The Roaring Twenties: Hudson Hits Her Stride

A Glimpse at the Decade

On November 11, 1918, the Armistice was signed, ending the Great War (now known as World War I). After a long and bloody battle, this was great news for America, and for the world. The carnage had at last ended, and there would be no more war, for it was the “War to end all Wars”, or so we thought! Our fighting men could come

home, and life could get back to normal.

But, as we know, after any war, there’s al-ways a time of adjustment. America, be-ing one of the world’s newest industrial-ized nations, had gone “full bore” in her defense of the free world. She had con-verted many factories from peacetime pro-duction to building war materiel, including ammunition, vehicles, and all the equip-ment that accompanies war. Not only had she converted factories, but had built new ones, hired workers, and of course, sent

her young men to the battlefield.

Now, it was time to resume life as we knew it. Unfortunately, all the factories de-voted to the war effort had to be converted back to peacetime production. This took time. Our men were coming home from Europe, looking for work, and jobs were not readily available. This caused a down-turn in our economy. Unfortunately, our economy seemed to be on a “roller coast-

er” ride until midyear 1921.

Then, at the end of the decade, on Octo-ber 29th, 1929, with only 64 days left in the decade, the Wall Street crash brought about the greatest economic downturn our nation had ever known. Not only was America brought to her knees, but much of the free world as well. Our world as we

once knew it would never be the same.

They didn’t call them the “Roaring

Twenties” for nothin’

However, between the economic downturn at the start of the decade, and the abso-lute economic disaster at the end, the twenties told a completely different story. When most of us think of the “Roaring Twenties”, our thoughts immediately go to flappers, the Charleston, bathtub gin, and gangsters, with Tommy guns. But, that’s what we’ve been exposed to, because that’s the Hollywood version. We have to

remember that, yes, although some of this was true, the movie makers business was to make interesting movies, so they would necessarily capitalize on the notoriety of

the times.

In reality, the twenties was a time of unbri-dled prosperity, of optimism, and oppor-tunity, a time of taking chances, and of “the sky’s the limit” thinking. America was no longer a rural frontier nation, but had now become a leading industrialized coun-try, helping win the greatest war known to man. The opportunities were seemingly

endless.

The Automotive Industry and the

“Roaring Twenties”

If opportunities were good in America, they were the best ever for the automotive in-

February/March 2012


dustry. The automobile had slowly made it’s inroad into American society, and with Charles Kettering’s introduction of the self-starter in 1912, the internal combustion en-gine was the powerplant of choice. The electrics that first dominated the market were quickly fading away, and the steam cars were about out of steam. By the twenties, al-most everyone had accepted the auto-mobile as the trans-portation of choice, and Old Dobbin was being put out to pasture. The gaso-line powered auto-mobile was the way

to go!

Between the unbridled optimism of the times, and the acceptance of the automo-bile, this brought perhaps the greatest of times for the automotive industry. Think for a moment back to the ‘50s, with the advent of television. Once TV was developed, and stations were broadcasting, everyone want-ed a new TV. Not only was it entertain-ment, but it was a status symbol. TV stores and repair shops sprung up all over our na-tion, and TV provided opportunities never before experienced. Then there was the Personal Computer in the late ‘80s and ‘90s. Once developed and accepted they were an overnight success, providing tens of thousands of business and work oppor-

tunities.

If Televisions and PC’s provided opportuni-ties in our day, how much more did the au-tomobile provide a new world of business for Americans in the twenties? When we think of television or PCs, we naturally think “big ticket item”, but they pale in compari-son to cars. Any of us in the hobby know by experience, they are expensive, com-

plex, and require attention and mainte-nance. And we know the older the car is, the more attention it requires. Even when new, cars of the twenties required a lot of

maintenance.

This acceptance of automobiles and a clamoring for a new car led to endless opportunities all over America, certainly for the manufactur-er,. Not only the manufacturer, but new car dealerships were springing up all over America. As people bought new cars, more and more

used cars were available, providing oppor-tunity for used car sales. With more cars on the road, this provided opportunities for service stations (or filling stations, as they were sometimes called). Then, there was the tire business. What a chance tires pro-vided! Then there was the repair business, more cars; more repairs. And the list con-tinues; batteries, paint and body, special-ized shops such as auto electric, carbure-tors, etc, etc. Even the car rental business was booming. Not everyone could afford a car, but people wanted to be able to drive, even if it was just for an evening or a week-end. America was changing, and it was the

automobile that was driving the change.

Hudson in the ”Twenties”

Chapin and his team at Hudson were poised and ready to take full advantage of the twenties. They had been building their “Mighty Hudson” for ten years, and in 1919 had expanded their line with a less expen-sive offering, the Essex. Although the Es-sex was considerably less expensive than a Hudson, it was still not down to the price of Model T Ford. It was, however, at a price that many could now afford, and it of-

February/March 2012


fered many advantages over a T. For in-stance, it was powered by a 55 HP F-head engine, almost four times more powerful than a Ford. It was a well built low-price entry, just right for the times. Priced at just $1,345, Essex sold over 20,000 cars that first year, a mere pittance compared to three-quarters of a million Model T’s., But Hudson was not in direct competition with Ford, and hadn’t been since 1910. The new Essex was not only a good sell-er, but it laid the groundwork for bigger

and better things in the future.

The enclosed car; the wave of the fu-

ture

By 1921, as the economy began to im-prove, and the future was full of hope and optimism, Hudson made another decision that would not only ensure their future, but would change the automotive industry for-ever. Cars had always been built in nu-merous body styles from roadsters to lim-ousines, but the cost of producing a

closed car body with the presses and equipment of the time, made for a very

limited market.

The buyers wanted a closed car, but many just couldn’t afford one. Knowing that driv-ers were becoming weary of braving the elements, Chapin took a bold step, making a deal with Fisher Body to purchase a

basic, simple enclosed two door body, sometimes referred to as a coach. The body was to have few amenities; no com-plex curves, nothing fancy, but would pro-tect the car’s passengers from the ele-ments. Most car bodies of the era were stylish with beautiful complex curves, so to go to extremes in producing a simple basic body was seemingly taking a step backward and taking a big chance. But Chapin had always been a marketing ge-nius, and once again, he had read the market correctly. Many buyers didn’t care as much about the beautiful curves of an automobile body, as they did about being able to drive comfortably, not having to weather the elements. The new coach was offered at $1,495, only $300 over that of an open car. Even though it was some-times referred to as a “packing crate”, of-ten maligned by the competition, buyers came in droves to buy the new little Essex Coach. As the volume went up, the price came down. By 1925 a buyer could pur-chase an Essex Coach for $895; that was five dollars cheaper than a touring car. The Essex coach was such a hit that a similar, but somewhat more sophisticated

body was installed on the Hudson as well.

At GM, Alfred P Sloan said about the suc-cess of the Essex Coach “an event that was to profoundly influence the fortunes of Pontiac, Chevrolet, and the Model T.” “Nothing like that had ever been seen be-fore in the automobile industry. The Es-sex coach had considerable vogue.” GM quickly followed suit, and Ford to a lesser degree. Ford’s reluctance to go heavily into closed cars at that point probably stemmed from the fact that the T chassis was designed for a lightweight body. But, eventually, all manufacturers moved to-ward the closed car. If for no other reason (and there were many) Hudson and Essex changed the automotive world forever, of-

fering a closed car at an open car price.

February/March 2012


Hudson hits a new high-water mark

When Hudson sold her first four-thousand

cars back in 1910, she became seventeenth in the industry. By the early twenties, she moved all the way to seventh, then fifth place. But with the advent of her low priced closed car, by 1925 she no longer was to-ward the back of the pack, but moved up to third place, only to be outdone by Ford and Chevrolet. Quite a feat when one thinks of the number of outstanding automobile manu-facturers in the mid twenties vying for that

position. .

The Hudson Super Six in the Twenties

Although the focus seemed to be on the Es-sex and the Coach body, much of Hudson’s heritage and fortune continued to come by way of her Super Six, unsurpassed in power and performance by any other automaker in her class. All throughout the twenties, she continued to refine her famous engine, often successfully entering cars in races and en-durance runs. The Super Six was her flag-ship, and in one form or another, always would be. It might be called by another name, but would always be outstanding,

smooth, and powerful.

The company began offering a small, high-

revving 6 cylinder F-head engine in her 1924 Essex, but was only moderately successful. Although it was a smooth running engine, it lacked the power and performance of the bigger 55 HP F-head Four that Essex own-ers had grown to love. Not satisfied with me-diocrity, the experimental department imme-diately began to expand and improve the new six. Working with the new F-head, and their famous “Super Six” flat head, and tak-ing the best features of both, in January

1928, the new F-head “Special Six” Hudson

motor was born.

The new “Special Six” was ready and waiting to be installed in the big 1929 Hudson. It was unquestionably their best entry thus far. Priced at only $1095, it offered the new tough, quiet, 289 CI engine; capable of “70 miles an hour all day”, with a top speed of 80, and acceleration and braking to match, all this in a beautiful body of the buyers

choice.

The total Hudson-Essex sales for 1929 was just shy of 300,000 units, with Essex coming in once again at third place in the industry. And once again, Hudson sold more Sixes that year than any other manufacturer. Hud-

son had hit her stride.

February/March 2012


Next issue: The Depression Years; A

fight for survival

Hollis Rule, a member of the Society of Auto-

motive Historians, is presently a columnist for

“Members’ Parade, ”monthly magazine of the

Hornets Nest Region, AACA, in Charlotte, NC.

He is also editor for Tampa’s New Florida Re-

gion Model A Restorers Club and the Golden

Iron Car Club of Clover SC.

Credits: This series originally published in

"Members’ Parade” monthly magazine of the

Hornets Nest Region, AACA, Charlotte, NC ,

Brooke Davis editor

Ben B. Ellerbeck Part 2

The Jan/Feb 2012 WTN has the story of Ben B. Ellerbeck in my column. It mentions the Ellerbeck photos on page 82 of Don Butler’s Hudson History. At the 2011 Cen-tral Region Meet more photos were discov-ered in the Historical Library of a 1924 en-velope addressed to him Salt Lake City from the Society of Automotive Engineers. In a donation by the late Phil Roskie, the envelope had several small business card photos that apparently were being returned

to Ellerbeck.

Only two were used in the WTN article and

the others maybe of interest to our group.

Photo 1 show a man behind the wheel of the first car. I’m making an assumption that this is Ellerbeck himself. All the other pho-

tos have female models. The windows are all down and the windshield has odd reflec-tions but the spotlight in the upper corner is

visible.

Photo 2 shows what is thought to be the first car repainted. The early photos definitely show that the body from the windshield back was a lighter color than the cowl. This two

tone job unifies the color scheme.

Photo 3 shows probably the third car (#2 is possibly the inside crank version in the WTN). Butler’s notes a version that permit-ted the rumble seat to be used. This artist rendering is completely different from the photo of the car in Butler’s book. It appears later in design with rectangular hood vents instead of louvers. The roof design is differ-ent, sliding back on rails instead of lifting up

and over and down.

As mentioned in the WTN Ellerbeck’s experi-ments resulted in no manufacturer accepting his ideas but between these two articles there is more information about him that has been printed in fifty years. Of course that’s

what libraries are for!! DJ Kava

February/March 2012


HMCC Research Project

Preston Stevens is researching the relation-ship between the Hudson Motor Car Co. and Dutch Queen Wilhelmina. According to some sources, by 1946, the Queen Wilhelmina of Holland owned a “healthy pile (11%) of Hud-son stock.” If anyone has any information on

the subject, Preston would be very interested.

[email protected]

A Word from Britain Big Sky Newsletter

Big Sky Editor's note: Alan is in a club named Classic American Auto Club of Great Britain (CA.A.C. of G.B.) and a director of HET Club. They put a very nice publication out called Hood & Fenders Quarterly and Alan always writes for it. Alan is the Membership Secretary of the club which numbers about 85 members currently. Alan and Avril have been attending each National HET Meet of late and are a delight to meet and know. ….. But for now, here is a bit about Alan's ma-

chines:

From our United Kingdom Big Sky Chapter Members (Alan and Avril Jones) comes a

story on their Hudsons.

My 1952 Hornet sedan is a right hand drive vehicle. It was purchased directly off the stand of Earl's Court Motor Show. Earl's Court Motor Show was in those days THE London

Motor Show and the premier car show in the United Kingdom. The venue of the show was only a stone's throw from the Hudson facility on the Great West Road at Chiswick. Now it is no longer an assembly plant and this part of Hudson was shut down in 1940. I think probably the Hornet's right hand drive form was converted in the remaining parts of the old building or more possibly in South Africa and then shipped to the United Kingdom. The colour of my Hornet is grey body with a burgun-dy roof. The most interest part of my cars history is that it was purchased new by a man who lived five miles from me and through the next six owners, the car never traveled more than seven miles from my house, which I guess is some kind of record if not in the USA, certain-

ly in the UK.

My second vehicle is a 1955 two door Hud-son Hollywood Wasp. I have owned the car now for fifteen years and it is currently coming to an end for a long restoration. The car was imported into the United Kingdom by a friend of mine in company with a 1932 Nash Am-bassador, this being the car my friend want-ed. So the Wasp reluctantly ended up in my ownership, not knowing it at the time that it

would lead me to joining the H.E.T. Club and the Big Sky Chapter, and of course making so many great friends in the U.S.A. Finally the car came to me with the story that it belonged to Cyndie Lauper. If this is not true, it IS a fact she used the car in a pop video called "SHE BOP'''. These words were painted on the spare wheel

cover.

Alan & Avril

February/March 2012


McKean County Raceway from Sarah Young

February/March 2012


Your Views, Rants

and Raves

Another One Found

Dear Editor:

….. 50 years in a garage - 31000 miles on

an engine that has not been turned over

since President Kennedy was in office.

Per leaned into my ear and said, as we

were driving away ….. and said to me in a

low voice out of the corner of his mouth,

"It's more solid than your Pacemaker.

There's not a spec of rust on the under-

side." It was like he were telling me a se-

cret.

Dan McNichol

A Fan

Dear Editor,

Thanks for the latest edition of the Hud-

son Triangle. Wow! 16 pages. Keep it up

guys and thanks so much for helping

someone who can't travel much these

days to continue to enjoy and have an in-

terest in Hudson.

Hudsonly, Larry Romig

Hudson Books Keep On Coming

February/March 2012


Hudson Happenings

International Events

2012 International Meet - Gettysburg, PA, July 24-28, 2012

2013 International Meet - San Mateo, CA, July 22-27.

Regional Events

Western Region Meet - Oxnard, CA, May 3-5, 2012 (socalhet.org)

Central Region Meet - Kalamazoo, MI, June 6-9 (cmhetclub.com)

Eastern Region Meet - Roanoke, VA, June 8-10, 2012

Big Country Region Meet - Lincoln, NE, June 14-16, 2012

Eastern Region Meet - Fort Royal, VA,

May 10-13, 2013

See the HET Club ‘White Triangle News’ for

details.

A Month In Hudson History

Feb. 1906 - Team at Olds Co. agree to

form new company.

Feb. 24, 1909 - HMCC formed.

Feb. 1916 - Daytona Beach Record of

102.5 mph by Super Six

Feb. 1919 - Essex All-Steel Body

Feb. 1920 - Essex beat airmail in coast-to

-coast run

Feb. 24, 1934 - Celebrated 25 Years.

Feb. 16, 1936 - Roy Chapin dies of pneu-

monia.

Feb. 1937 - Hudson's best commercial

sales year.

Feb. 1940 - Hudson 8 sets Class C record

of 93.89 mph and 27.12 mpg @ 28.81

mph at Salt Flats.

Feb. 1948 - Hudson leases a steel plant

to ease material shortage

Feb. 10, 1950 - Senior line of Hudsons

introduced.

Feb. 11, 1951 - Marshall Teague win Day-

tona Beach with a Hornet at 82.32 mph.

Feb. 1952 - Hudson hints of a "Low-cost

Wonder Car" (Jet)

Feb. 10, 1952 - Marshall Teague win Day-

tona Beach with a Hornet at 84.65 mph.

Feb. 1954 - Hudson Jet Liner wins Econ-

omy Run with 21.64 mpg.

Feb. 1954 - Hornet takes 1st Place in

NASCAR West Palm Beach, FL Race.

Feb. 1955 - '54 Hudsons place 1, 2, 4, & 7

in NASCAR West Palm Beach, FL Race.

The ‘Triangle’ Name

“I'll never forget when I became editor and named it the Hudson Triangle, the reaction of Roy Chapin, Jr. when he received the first issue. He told me how happy he was that the name continued, having first started in 1911

with the company's in-house publication.”

Ken Poynter

Canceled Order

A customer sent an order to a distributor for a large amount of goods totaling a great deal of money. The distributor noticed that the previ-ous bill hadn’t been paid, so he asked his col-lections manager to leave a voice-mail for them saying, “We can’t ship your new order

until you pay for the last one.”

The next day the collections manager re-ceived a collect phone call, “Please cancel

the order. We can’t wait that long.”

February/March 2012


February/March 2012


from Leroy Harris

Success Causes Problems

One of the main goals of the HETHS is to collect and preserve the history and memorabilia of the HMCC. In part, this task has been successful; however the following article illustrates the prob-

lems that success creates.

The recently formed HETHS/HET Club joint com-mittee has tackled the problem and is making

progress.

--------------

A Library Story By D. J. Kava

“Ugghh,” was followed by several heavy breath-

ing gasps and Sue dropped another box on the temporary table. “Where did THAT come from?” asks Larry at 3PM of the day we were

leaving. “Oh, around the corner” says Sue.

We are in our third day of the first attempt at organizing the Hudson Historical Society Li-brary. All the previous energy has been ex-pended in physical process of gathering all two tons of the donations in one place. Shelving and grocery bags of paper and glass cases too heavy to carry up and down staircases exhausted the partici-

pants. This is where the fun began.

Larry ever the manager opens it and after giving Sue a couple of items to file said, “Hey DJ this looks like your stuff.” It was typical of

the three days.

Here’s how we did it.

The museum is three hours from Indy so after the ride I see the library for the first time. A little office in front of an odd shaped utility room is the best descrip-tion. Up front is the computer and cases with small stuff. The next room has another case, lots of quality filing cabinets and many feet of wooden bookcases. The first item of business was to put a long temporary table in the cramped space. It was home base for every thing. I wondered around for about an

February/March 2012


hour. Looking at the books, pulling drawers open, looking at stuff. Larry fires up the long dormant computer and starts updating 150+ files of the missing Service Packs and starts poking at the photographs. Sue sees boxes of WTN and decides to tackle them. Eventu-ally Larry asks, “What do you want to do?” “Something easy like organizing the

books.”

It was easy. I carved a shelf space, slapped a “Ford” 3x5 card on space and ranged the shelving for Ford books. Next extracted GM to look for the other stuff. Then set up biog-raphy and other spaces. By using the 3x5s we could move groups around and when something else showed up just put it there. That worked better on the filing cabi-nets so you didn’t have to yank every one open to see contents. After the books I helped Sue verify 15 years of WTN in one drawer and then we had to leave because the

museum was closing.

At dinner at the Blue Gate we talked Satur-day. There was a wedding reception and we could stay as long as we wanted. We have the unique Patterson Collection and decided I should make a camera copy of it for off site for the HET library. We all agreed needing to file sales literature, & parts & mechanical pro-

cedure books.

The next day while Larry & Sue set up filing space I shoot digital photos of the Patterson Collection in less than idea conditions but if a tornado rips up the place at least some rec-ord is available. After that I claimed a bottom drawer and started gathering the dealer letter binders. Soon volunteer Cheryl Holz drags her contagious sickly husband to check out the Past Perfect program under considera-tion. She & Larry explore the sample disk and after some learning curve problems de-cide it is useful. After they leave Larry gets a coughing fit and poke he’s getting Steve’s disease but he insists it just “all this moldy

stuff” we are handling.

After they left and we had lunch the after-noon worked into a quasi-efficient blur. You couldn’t be efficient because there was al-ways something so cool you had to share it. “Hey here’s mention of those glass slides in 1950 dealer intro” or “Ever see this 1916 piece” or a dozen different items. With our labors generally divided we kept passing stuff back and forth. “Larry here’s a Frank Spring photo. Sue, ’37 sales catalog.” I ended up getting “everything with holes” meaning it was 3 ring punched so it could go in a binder like

the original dealers.

At 8:30PM we declared food and again at the Blue Gate on Saturday night & when we exit, the sidewalks are gone and there is horse manure in the streets. The bed was wel-

come.

Sunday, 9AM we arrive at our last day. It was pretty much what we established on Sat-urday. Find stuff and put it away. The central table always had things coming and going and a few in suspense items, as in “what the hell are we going to do with that?” We had to be out at 5PM. and at lunch which is limited

on Sunday, decided we had to quit at 4PM.

So when Sue plops another box on the table at 3PM there was no way I could file all the “holes” by 4PM. They were shuffled on to a book shelf as we refolded the table and stored it. When we leave I look around at 3x5 cards everywhere on book cases and filing cabinets knowing we have moved hundreds of pounds of paper into eventual retrieval sta-tus. Dinner and four hours later back in Indy

drinking beer.

DJ Kava's Hudson experience started early by "riding home from the hospital" in a used 1935 Ter-raplane. He joined the HET Club in 1966; became a founding member of the North Texas Chapter circa 1970; and joined the HHS in '98. Kava has been con-tributing Hudson stories and articles for 40 years and is the 2004 Daugherty Award winner.

February/March 2012


The Dark Side of Racing by Preston Stevens

Drivers considered green as an unlucky color and green was used by Larry Craig who wrecked his "Green Hornet in 1952 at Lang-horne, PA. He was killed. Draw your own con-

clusions.

Another tragic death was that of Frank Luptow at the "Death Track", Lakewood Park, in Atlanta. The northwest turn had a gully caused by a sma l l spr i ng and d r ivers were understandably wary of it. Luptow contrived a

skid which was attached to the right rear of his Hornet. He hoped the skid would take over in case of a lost wheel or axle but the invention failed him when he lost his axle on that turn. He and the car were thrown into the air and he was crushed when the car landed upon him. This horrific picture shows the crash, with the car in the air above Frank. After this the Hudson

factory issued a "severe usage" axle.

Legendary "Bad Boy" Curtis Turner was said to be ready to drive a roller skate if it came with a pint of whisky. He drove Plymouths, Olds, even Nashes on occasions. It is not generally known he drove Hudson Hornets at least five times in early 1952 and his bio never mentions this: North Wilkesboro, March 30; Martinsville, April 6; Atlanta, April 20; Langhorne, May 4 and Canfield, May 30. Curtis probably drove

more NASCAR

Other racing deaths include: Harry “Reds” E. Fowler, ’53 Hornet, Nov 1, 1953. Marlboro Motor Speedway, MD and Lou Figaro, “53

Hornet, Oct 25, 1954.

NATMUS Museum HETHS Exhibit managed by Sue & Larry K.

February/March 2012


From the HET Historical Society Library

For more information, contact Larry Kennedy, Librarian

1940 Hudson Convertible Coupe

1942 Hudson

February/March 2012


from the Hudson-AMC Club of Australia

February/March 2012


HET Historical Society

2011-2012 Board of Directors

Lew Bird (2010-2013) 1513 Treehouse Lane South (817) 379-0458 Roanoke, TX 76262-8950 [email protected]

Aaron Cooper Pres. HET Club 7115 Franklin Ave. (515) 868-2786 (cell) Windsor Heights, Iowa 50322 [email protected]

Dennis Flint (term 2011-2014) 4717 Keema Ave. (916) 332-1535 Sacramento, CA 95842 [email protected]

Steve Holz (term 2010-2013) 13270 Mckanna Road (815) 475-7158 Minooka, Ill 60447 [email protected]

Alan Jones (term 2010-2013) 13th St. Johns Ave. 011 02 392 64 0009 Purbrook Waterlooville, Hampshire PO7 5PJ United Kingdom [email protected]

Larry Kennedy (term 2011-2014) 9350 Vandergriff Road (317) 862-2020 Indianapolis, IN 46239 [email protected]

Charlie Nau (term 2009-2012) 8605 Pheasant Drive (406) 721-4383 Missoula, MT 59808-1010 [email protected]

Bruce Smith (term 2009-2012) 42 Gilligan Road (518) 477-9740 East Greenbush, NY 12061-1713 [email protected]

Hal Waddell (term 2011-2014) 508 Ruth Circle (321) 676-1659 West Melbourne, FL 32904 [email protected]

Park Waldrop (2009-2012) 1404 Ridgewood Dr. (803) 327-3929 Rock Hill, SC 29732-9645 [email protected]

Legal Counsel

Sue Figert Kennedy 9350 Vandergriff Road Indianapolis, IN 46239 (317) 862-2268 [email protected]

Past Presidents Ken Poynter Sue Figert Kennedy

Welcome to Our Newest Members

Life: Ed and Kaylene Souer (Upgrade from

Contributing)

Keep spreading the word about the goals and achievements of the HETHS and mak-

ing the invitation to join our quest.

▲

The Swap Shop

A collection of shop manuals, WTNs and

North Texas News was received from an

estate. Detailed lists are available in the

“Salesroom” of http://socalhet.org/ or call

Jon at 800/334-2666.

Do you have a car, boat or airplane tak-

ing up room in the garage? Make a chari-

table donation to the HET Historical Soci-

ety. You will receive aid in valuation; help

with moving it, a tax deduction and many

thanks. Call Mike at 435/657-0443 or fair-

[email protected] .

See the HET Club ‘White Triangle News’

Classified Section for more items.














February/March 2012


MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society

The Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society offers three types of memberships along with the ability to accept other donations and bequests of any amount. All Dona-

tions are tax deductible. They are most welcome and very much appreciated.

LIFE Membership - A onetime tax-deductible contribution of $1,000.00 or more. Recogni-tion will be by Certificate, Gold Lapel Pin and membership card. The membership includes

full voting privileges.

CONTRIBUTING Membership - A tax-deductible contribution of $100.00 per year for ten

(10) consecutive years will result in a full LIFE membership. Member will receive Silver Lapel Pin for initial membership and membership card. (Only one pin will be issued until LIFE mem-

bership is attained.) This membership includes full voting privileges.

ASSOCIATE Membership — A contribution $25.00 for one year. This may be renewed as many times as one wishes. This is a non-voting membership and may not be used to ac-

cumulate credit towards other memberships.

Yes, I would like to become a member of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Historical So-

ciety as indicated:

$________________ LIFE Membership $1,000.00 or more.

$ ________________ CONTRIBUTING Membership $100.00 per year.

$________________ ASSOCIATE Membership $25.00 each year

$________________ GIFT in Honor or in Memory of ______________

$________________ General Donation _________________________

$ ________________ TOTAL funds enclosed.

The Hudson Triangle Preference: _______ Electronic (pdf) or ______ Paper

Name:

Address:

Phone: Email:

Please make payment by cash, check, or money order payable to HET Historical Society, Inc., in US Dollars, and mail to:

Carmen LaFlamme, 111 Besaw Road, Richmond, VT 05477

Thanks for your Support!

THE HUDSON TRIANGLE · 2020. 8. 24. · One of our recent Western Regional Meets was near Yosemite...

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