The last Hudson was made in 1957, though its fans will tell you the last "real" one rolled off the Hudson Motor Car Company's Detroit assembly line in 1954 before Hudson became part of American Motors. The Essex (1919-34) and Terraplane (1932-38) nameplates that Hudson made are buried even deeper in history. Yet more than half a century since any of these cars were made, the North Central Chapter of the Hudson/Essex/Terraplane (HET) Club helps keep the makes alive. And despite its modest size (about 65 members), the club mounts two sizable, long-running trophy car shows that bracket the summer.
The 34th Annual Greenberg Car Show, named for the Cambridge dealership that co-sponsors it, is at the Isanti County Fairgrounds in Cambridge on Memorial Day (May 26). The 41st Annual Twin Cities Collectors' Car Show, at Blaine's Aquatore Park, is on the Sunday (Aug. 31) of Labor Day weekend. With good weather, both shows draw more than 200 vintage cars and provide funds for club events.
Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the Hudson company's founding and the 50th birthday for the national club. It wasn't planned, but the area HET chapter, which dates to 1972, enters next year led by - drum roll, please - Joan Hudson. She and her husband Howard, a former club president, got into Hudson autos after attending a club show. Currently without a model, the couple will soon acquire a 1954 Hudson Jet. Joan, who calls Hudsons "really great cars," is also fascinated by the cars' history.
It's easy to see why. Hudson Hornets still hold some NASCAR records, including most consecutive wins in a season. Moonshiners favored Hudsons for their ability to evade law enforcement. The books "Grapes of Wrath" and "On the Road" feature Hudsons, as do the films "Cars" and "Driving Miss Daisy." Hudson engines powered D-Day landing craft in World War II. And the company is named for J.L. Hudson, the department store owner whose name was part of the Dayton-Hudson (now Target) Corporation.
Club treasurer Chuck Hestness, who's driven a Hudson cross-country and owned one as a youth, admires Hudsons for their innovations. These include dual brakes, dashboard oil warning lights, "step-down" interiors (floors lower than frames) and uni-body construction. Of his six Hudsons, his 1929 Model L is one of only six known to exist.
Some may know the term Terraplane from famous blues musician Robert Johnson's song "Terraplane Blues." When club member Bruce Wylie saw a Terraplane 15 years ago in a North Dakota barn, he liked the 1936 model's suicide doors and unique looks so much that he bought it. Wylie, whose vintage treasures include 1957 Lincoln, Cadillac and Thunderbird convertibles, joined the HET club after buying his Terraplane because, he explains, "If you have an old car, the best place for information and help is in a car club."
The best place for more on this club is at 763-262-9491 or 612-724-9268.
