Worldwide Auctioneers has completed the cataloguing of the landmark Hostetler’s Hudson Auto Museum Collection, in preparation for its sale at auction on Saturday, August 4th in Shipshewana, Indiana. All 69 cars and associated memorabilia in The Hostetler’s Hudson Auto Museum Auction will be offered entirely without reserve and are available for viewing in the print catalogue and online. “It would be a severe understatement for us to say that everyone here at Worldwide Auctioneers is profoundly honored to participate in the offering of this exceptional collection,” said John Kruse, Principal & Auctioneer. “As the fulfillment of the shared passion of Eldon and Esta Hostetler for the Hudson marque – refined over more than 30 years – it comprises a very well-curated selection of the most important Hudson models from the manufacturer’s 48 years in existence. This pioneering collection was indeed highly influential in my own life, having contacted Eldon Hostetler as a teenager and been treated to a private tour from him. Our desire is that collectors will embrace this heritage of the Hostetlers’ and the Hudson Motor Car Company, the people associated with it and the many unique and even one-off automobiles produced. We look forward to finding the next custodians for these exceptional vehicles, that the next generation may continue to build on this incomparable legacy.”
Included in the collection’s many highlights is an exhaustively researched 1917 Hudson Shaw Special Single-Seater Racing Car, (pictured at top) built and raced by Horace Shaw of Rochester, New York, an AACA Certified Competition Race Vehicle (# 072) with sophisticated competition engineering throughout, powered by a Hudson Super Six racing engine and beautifully restored by Ralph Prueitt. Motor racing enthusiasts will also enjoy the last and only known Hudson factory “Fabulous Hudson Hornet” NASCAR racer in existence, a 1952 Hudson Hornet 6 ‘Twin-H Power’,owned and driven by NASCAR legend Herb Thomas during the ’52 & ‘53 seasonsand presented in original racing livery with factory ‘Severe Usage’ items throughout. Other fascinating motorcars on offer include an extensively documented and highly equipped 1937 Railton Sportsman Drophead Coupe, with body by Ranalah, an extremely rare coachbuilt vehicle on eight-cylinder Hudson chassis, recognized as a CCCA Full Classic® and a hand-built 1952 Hudson Hornet 6 ‘Twin-H Power’ Prototype Pickup Recreation, an excellent recreation of the factory’s “Step Down” prototype pickup.
Enthusiasts can enjoy a series of videos from some of the people who were an integral part of the Hostetler’s Hudson Collection’s history on Worldwide’s YouTube channel andview the entire collection online at worldwideauctioneers.com. For bidder registration, call 1.260.925.6789 or 800.990.6789 or email bidders@worldwideauctioneers.com.
