One of the purposes of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Historical Society is to discover and memorialize the history and products associated with or manufactured by the Hudson Motor Car Company. As a part of fulfilling this purpose and the use of the valuable funds our donors provide, the HET Historical Society supports various displays in museums of Hudson-built vehicles.
NATMUS Museum - Auburn IN
1951 Hudson Pacemaker Convertible
The 1951 Hudson Pacemaker Convertible, VIN#4A20909, is on display at the NATMUS Museum in Auburn, Indiana.
This Hudson was donated by Harry Bong of Port Angeles, Washington. with manual transmission.
About our donor: In July, 2001 at the Seattle, Washington National Hudson Meet, Larry Kennedy met Harry Bong, a mechanic and auto restorer, and admired his all original 1951 Hudson Pacemaker convertible. Harry owned the convertible since 1989 and was a longtime member of the Hudson Club. Larry shared with Harry the purpose of the Hudson Historical Society. When Harry passed in January 2007, he donated the 1951 Pacemaker convertible and his 1951 Pacemaker sedan “parts car.” Both were transported to Indiana. The convertible was buffed by Larry Kennedy and cleaned by Sue Kennedy. The result was a beautiful original black convertible that was museum presentable. Since June 2007, it has been on display in the Historical Society’s exhibit at the NATMUS Museum in Auburn, IN. The convertible was seen by many who attended the 2007 Auburn, Indiana National Meet.
1950 Hudson Commodore Six Club Coupe
The 1950 Hudson Commodore Six Club Coupe VIN#50287653, with stick and overdrive, is currently on display at the Hudson Historical Society’s exhibit at the National Auto & Truck Museum in Auburn, Indiana This Hudson was the raffle car at the 1982 Buena Park, California National Meet. Dix Helland of Huntington Beach, California purchased it in February 1983, owned it for 21 years and then donated to the Hudson Historical Society in 2003. Dix’s uncle was a Hudson dealer in the Chicago area. After he left military service during World War II, Dix worked for both Hudson and American Motors as a Zone Service Manager, going from dealer to dealer providing training on the new models and as a troubleshooter for difficult service problems. A stint at Chrysler fleet sales in the late 50’s led him to a job with one of their early customers, the then-fledgling United Parcel Service. He retired as Regional Automotive Manager for UPS, where he was responsible for the health and wellbeing of over 10,000 vehicles. He has given many technical talks at Hudson Club functions and had a wealth of Hudson information. Dix passed in 2007. This 1950 Hudson Commodore Club Coupe has its rebuilt original 262 engine. The chrome and paint are in excellent condition and it is finished in the Hudson color Bali Blue.
National Hudson Motor Car Company Museum - Ypsilanti, MI (housed within the Ypsilanti Auto Heritage Museum)
1920 Essex Touring Car
The 1920 Essex Touring Car is on display at the National Hudson Motor Car Company Museum, Ypsilanti, Michigan.
In August 2004, the Estate of Ron Kishpaugh donated to the Hudson Historical Society, a 1920 Essex Touring Model 6A Vin#44297 and a 1913 Overland Touring Model 69. The Overland was on display at the National Auto and Truck Museum for two years and then sold by the Historical Society. The 1920 Essex Touring Car is now on display at the National Hudson Motor Car Company Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The Hudson Motor Car Company began manufacturing the Essex in 1919. Essex was the less expensive car and one of the most famous cars ever built in America. Four Essex cars in the winter of 1920, each carrying pouches of mail, set out on transcontinental runs from New York to San Francisco. All broke then-existing transcontinental records. This marked the first time that mail had been carried cross country by car. The Essex engine contained the intake valves in the cylinder head, while exhaust valves were in the block. This is an “F head” engine. The Essex engine also feature the counter-balanced crankshaft developed by Hudson Motor Car Company in 1916. The Essex set many long-distance endurance records.
About the donor: Ron Kishpaugh lived in Skaneateles, NY and passed away in October 2003 at the age of 91. He was a member of the Hudson Club for over 30 years. He owned Hudson automobiles for most of his adult life. Ron had managed to own an outstanding variety of HET’s. Ron was the winner of the Hard Luck Award at the 2003 Madison, Wisconsin National Meet. Ron, with his friend, Scott Turney, drove Ron’s 1953 Hornet Convertible to Madison. The Hydramatic transmission burned up shortly before arriving at the National Meet. Ron always thought the world of Hudsons and the Hudson Club. He was full of energy and had a positive attitude. He lived during a time when you could buy a new Hudson.
Wisconsin Automotive Museum - Hartford, WI
1956 Hudson Hornet Sedan
The Hudson Historical Society owns a 1956 Hudson Hornet 4 door Sedan VIN#X9552. It is powered by a 1957 AMC 327 V8 with a Jetaway Hydramatic and was donated by Dennis Flint of Sacramento, California in August 2003.
In 1954 Hudson Motor Car Company merged with Nash Kelvinator Corp., and the consolidated company was American Motors Corp. Hudson continued its Detroit operations through the 1954 model production. Thereafter Hudsons were manufactured in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This was the Nash plant and from 1955-1957 cars were produced there with the Hudson name. In 1997 the Historical Society established an exhibit at the Hartford Heritage Auto Museum, now known as the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Harford, Wisconsin. For several years, we searched for a 55-57 Hudson to display in this exhibit. That search ended in 2003 with Dennis Flint’s generous donation of his 1956 Hornet, which he had owned since 1994. This Hornet V-8 custom 4 door sedan costs $3,015.00 new and weighed 3,846 pounds. The new Hornet V-8 engine was a high-compression overhead-valve design with a 90-degree V-angle. Some of these cars were used by law enforcement agencies. Dennis Flint joined the HET Historical Society July 25, 1996. But Dennis didn’t just give his money to the Society; rather he became an active and enthusiastic member. On the first day of his membership, he recommended the Society support a Hudson exhibit at the Towe Ford Museum now known as the California Auto Museum in Sacramento, CA. Over the course of the next year, Dennis worked diligently on this exhibit at the California Auto Museum. Dennis personally made a kiosk display with literature telling the Hudson Motor Car Company story. The exhibit included a TV/VCR with the Legacy Video running on a continuous loop. Dennis arranged for several different Hudsons to be displayed in the museum. In addition to the money given by the HET Historical Society to sponsor this exhibit, Dennis personally gave the museum hundreds of dollars and he donated his 1941 Hudson to this museum. Dennis also developed Hudson educational materials for training docents, which materials have been published in the Triangle. Dennis was elected to the HET Historical Society Board of Directors in July, 2002 and served continuously until January 2013. Dennis became a lifetime member in August 2003. His contributions and services to the HET Historical Society are too numerous to mention, but include chairing the development of several Hudson Story Boards which were displayed at the National Automobile Museum, The Harrah Collection, during the 2005 National Meet in Reno, NV. These Story Boards are now at the National Hudson Motor Car Company Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Dennis’ unique contributions to the HET Historical Society have been unparalleled and so far is the only member of the HET Historical Society who has donated a Hudson to the Society.