1936 Hudson by Coachcraft, London England

Thought I would start a thread on the restoration of my 1936 Hudson Sport Saloon built by Coachcraft in London England. Contrary to what has been reported there were at liest two of these cars built. Not alike, but close enough that they look like twin sisters. My car went from London to Hong Kong (owned by the Govenor General of Hong Kong) then to Canada. It came to the East Coast of the United States first, then to Reno, Nevada and finally to Utah. The car was in good condition with the exception of the wood framing. The interior should be finished in a few weeks and then with some final "futzing" it will be ready for the road......

The photo's show the work in process starting from a photo taken in Hong Kong while on rally driven by the Governor General's wife.

If you need to contact me I can be reached at aaabrowniepetersen@readytek.net (drop the aaa at the front of the address.)

Thanks,

Very cool car! thanks for posting. Be sure to post this over at COACHBUILD.com

Did you discover the original dark colors when you took it apart? If not, I applaud your choice not to paint in the light colors shown in the original photo.

West, My family is second generation Scottish. My Great Grandfather was a Captian in the Scottish Military Unit known as the "Black Watch." As I thought of the colors (the two tone gray were original) I decided that whoever is caretaker of this car after I pass away can select to go back original or do as they choose. For me, a tribute to my past seemed like a realistic decision. I do think that these British Coach Built cars need something more than black and in this case more than grey. The green for this car is a custom mix.

If I plan to sell a car I go for "resale red." If I plan to keep the car I paint it original or green. Most old car were green at one time of their life or another?

Thanks you for your kind comments.

"resale red" isn't really true any more, especially with prewar cars. You did well selecting those colors. They are appropriate and flattering to the car.

Hi to all interested parties.

I own what looks like the 3rd Hudson Sport Saloon built by Coachcraft in London England.

It is a 1938, always in the UK. In original condition but unfortunately not good enough to be a queen in a "preservation Class" in a Concours.

Cheers

Hi to all interested parties.

I own what looks like the 3rd Hudson Sport Saloon built by Coachcraft in London England.

It is a 1938, always in the UK. In original condition but unfortunately not good enough to be a queen in a "preservation Class" in a Concours.

Cheers

Congradulations on having a very rare car. There are no really good numbers on how many Hudson Stratton Sport Saloons were built but the number is considered around ten from 1935 to 1939 when Coachcraft shut down because of the war. To date there are two 1936's that have shown up and yours would be the third 1938. There were a number of coachbuilders in England in those years that were using the Hudson products. Most of the cars that came out of Coachcraft were the Railtons. Anyway, how about a few photos of your car?

Congradulations on having a very rare car. There are no really good numbers on how many Hudson Stratton Sport Saloons were built but the number is considered around ten from 1935 to 1939 when Coachcraft shut down because of the war. To date there are two 1936's that have shown up and yours would be the third 1938. There were a number of coachbuilders in England in those years that were using the Hudson products. Most of the cars that came out of Coachcraft were the Railtons. Anyway, how about a few photos of your car?

I have now realised I will never find the time to restore my jewel.

I have just listed it on eBay, hoping my car will find a good home where to get its former glory:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281601344504?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

or by eBay item number: 281601344504

I will be pleased to send further information to the interested collectors.

Good luck. Cool car.

These Coachcraft Hudsons from England are most interesting, considering Railton has already been established, building their own bodies on Hudson and Terraplane chassis.

Craig

I clicked on the eBay linked and saw the bidding had ending at $8,400 and thought someone got a real bargain. Then I noticed the reserver was not met. Really neat car.

The estimates for the sale of one of these cars should be at the $100,000 mark for a restored car. The reality is that a restored Coachcraft built Hudson Stratton sport saloon is marketable somewhere around half the valued price. Unlike most cars of the mid 30's a restoration should cost about 50K to get it right. There does not seem to be any money in these cars in todays marked.