1937 Hudson Terraplane

1937 Hudson Terraplane

Owned by Bill & Janet Rendle

We purchased the Hudson in July 2018 from the late Noel (Wigs) Wilson, Taupiri. We are the 5th owner of the car and have travelled 3900 miles in it.

Noel was very reluctant to sell the car, so he entrusted its Sale to his good friend Phil Boyd of Rotorua. Phil & his son Russell completed a full body restoration of the car in the early 2000s, and together with info from Phil & Russell, and we were also fortunate to meet with Noel, we have managed to get a little bit of history on the car.

At the time of the restoration, Noel also had some work done on the motor.

The car was purchased brand new by Arthur Stapleton, who was the Manager of the Waihi Gold Mine at Wakino. He owned the car until 1958, and he then sold it to a Gold Mine employee who owned it for 11 years. It was then on-sold to a new owner who had the car for 15 years before selling it to Noel in 2000. It had been “running like a dream,” however, in Jan 2019, when I was travelling over to Rotorua, just on the second hill out of Wairakei, I lost all power in the motor. Fortunately, I was just able to manage a u-turn & coast back down the hill to a driveway and arrange for a tow back to

Taupo. Diagnosis revealed the top had come completely off one of the pistons. I could have used it for an ashtray if I had been a smoker!!. Dave & Paul from DAM Automotive took the motor out, and Phil & Russell Boyd offered their expertise to source and fit six new pistons from the States. They had to be machinemade as when the motor had last been worked on, it had been sleeved, and the existing pistons cam ground. Due to Covid, and other reasons, the car was off the road for 18 months, and it is now “running like a dream” again.

It has a 3.5 litre flathead 6 motor & cruises comfortably 50 – 55mph. Hydraulic brakes were standard at manufacture. We get many comments about the stunning colour of the car, and Russell Boyd told us he picked the colour, and it is very similar to a colour Volkswagen used to use. Our 3900 miles that we have travelled, have taken us to many places including; Art Deco in Napier, Forgotten Highway to Inglewood, North Island Club Captains Tour which we joined in Taupo and ended up in Wanganui, and our most recent trip was to 2022 Festival of Motoring in New Plymouth, where we had a very enjoyable week with fellow Taupo VCC Members and also caught up with other friends and Hudson Club members.

We also belong to the Hudson Essex Terraplane Club (HET), and each year we have an AGM weekend alternating between North & South Islands, with 2022 being the 50th Anniversary of the Club, which will be held in Nelson in October, so that will be its next major outing.

* Vehicle Servicing * WoF * Brakes Classic! Vintage! American! English! Dave Morton

Ph. 378 8448 Tuwharetoa Street Service Lane dam.auto@xtra.co.nz

LAKELAND GLASS TAUPO

PROUDLY OWNED & OPERATED FOR OVER 25 YEARS

WINDSCREENS, CHIP REPAIRS, ADAS CLASSIC CAR RESTORATION,

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