Vehicle Description
If you've been-there, done-that with Fords and Chevys, how about
something a little bigger and bolder like this 1934 Hudson Eight
sedan. Very rare, exceptionally well detailed, beautifully built to
be a high-volume driver, and featuring many modern conveniences, it
more than lives up to Hudson's reputation for performance and
style.
The Hudson Motor Company was celebrating its 25th anniversary in
1934, and part of the festivities included an entirely new for '34
line of vehicles that were described in brochures as "Streamlined
in Wind Sculptured Steel". There's no arguing that the 1934 Hudson
were among the best-looking cars of the period and the restoration
on this handsome sedan did nothing to diminish those looks. The
slick black paint is a handsome, elegant choice, and the rounded
art-deco shape of the sweeping fenders and roof line has never
looked better. In 1934, mono-tone paint jobs were the norm and
while the paint isn't 1930s lacquer, the modern finish shines very
well and the pinstripe that encircles the body does a great job
breaking up to the paint with a bit of contrast. Obviously, a ton
of time went into the build, and they made sure that all the
bodywork was ready for primetime, which means all four suicide
doors fit well, the hood is aligned just right, and all the period
details were retained. The roof hasn't been chopped, and even the
ornate hood ornament is still in place, giving the car a dignified
look that fits the period. Lots of bright chrome provides great
contrast to the sinister black finish, and even though there are a
few signs of use, there's no question that this was a very
expensive build a few years ago.
With a 116-inch wheelbase, there's plenty of room inside, where it
has been handsomely reupholstered in red cloth. Low-back front
buckets from a late-model look great up front and there' still a
full-sized back seat with seatbelts, which makes this a
family-friendly rod. They skipped any pretense of making it look
100% like a 1934 Hudson inside, but that's OK because the handsome
trim work shows well and makes it a very comfortable place to be on
a road trip. The original dash was augmented with some very nice
accents, including a custom gauge bezel with a full set of
cream-faced Classic Instruments gauges, and with the neatly
integrated A/C vents and an AM/FM/Cassette stereo head unit
underneath, it looks like it has always been this way. Light
carpets add a plush feeling that speaks softly of luxury and the
tilt column with a leather-wrapped Lecarra 4-spoke steering wheel
is a nice touch. And please take a moment to note that this car
includes a spacious trunk that's ideal for touring.
This Hudson is a big car and to move this much sheetmetal, you need
some juice. The original flathead inline-8 was dumped, obviously,
and it now gets motivation from a 350 cubic inch Chevy V8 motor
that moves the big sedan without ever seeming to work very hard,
and it looks like it was born there. It was clearly detailed to
proudly show off with a chrome open-element air cleaner, finned
valve covers with custom "Hudson" script, and several polished
accessories. An Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor and aluminum
Edelbrock Performer intake manifold help build power and are easy
to tune, while Hooker Supercomp headers deliver a mellow tone via a
custom dual exhaust system. It's backed by a TH350 3-speed
automatic transmission and a heavy-duty rear end and sway bar out
back, so everything is easy to service and virtually bulletproof.
The independent front suspension is a Mustang II setup, so it
offers power disc brakes and power steering and the stance is
exactly right. Old-school chrome wire wheels are fitted with
staggered 185/75/14 front and 225/75/15 rear blackwall radials to
complete the killer look.
This is a lot of car for a fraction of the build cost, and it runs
and drives as great as it looks. Try something different and travel
in first class with this lovely '34 Hudson. Call now!
