Recent Hudson Wasp Purchase Help Needed

[ANTHONYSTANGO]

Maybe one of you gentlemen can help. I just purchased a 1957 Hudson Wasp. At least that's what it says on the title. The vin number is W8114 and there is no problem with the title at all according to InstaVin. I know 56 was the last year for the Wasp. Could it be a mistake and it should read 56? Or is it that maybe it was sold in 57 and so it reads 57. Your thoughts.

[Hans1]

Very nice looking car!

I personally can not ID later models to answer your question, But the Hudson Essex Terraplane Club certainly can.

 

https://www.hetclub.org/index.php?option=com_kunena&view=topic&catid=12&id=5017&Itemid=1367

 

Very beat wishes

Hans

[John_S_in_Penna]

The trim--the semi-circular pieces over the headlights,

and the absence of tacked-on fins on the rear fenders--

indicate that it is a 1956.  It is not a 1957 Hudson.

 

Hudsons didn't sell well in those years, so you're right:

It could very well have been left unsold until 1957,

and the state titled it (wrongly) as such.

 

You have an interesting car, Anthony.  People will

enjoy looking at a car that's different from what is usually seen!

Edited May 12, 2019 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[JamesR]

Congratulations on the new old car! It looks to be in good shape, is quite unique and incredibly cool! If it was a '56 titled in '57 as you and John speculate, that makes it even more unique. Emblematic of the end for Hudson.

 

Sometimes they just get titles wrong at the DMV, though. I once owned a desirable old Moto Guzzi from the early 1970's, a V7 Sport. It wasn't titled as a V7 Sport, though...the title said "V 750 Sport." 750 was the displacement, so either the clerk at the DMV was wrong or maybe the secretary at the dealership didn't care about bikes, so she put the displacement in the model name...or maybe it was because it was an import. All I know is that Guzzi guys knew it as a V7 Sport but it didn't say that on the title.

[keninman]

From what I understand, uniform VIN numbers did not start until 1980. I could see where a lot of states would just have created a title for a new vehicle as the current year rather than as the year it was manufactured. Heck they might have destroyed all of the previous years title stock on January 1st. 

[Hans1]

Here is info from Hudson Essex terraplane Club online info

enter the link, scroll down to pink booklet, download book.

You will likely ID series, body type, trim type etc for your car.

I sure hope you join the HET Club !

 

https://www.hetclub.org/index.php?option=com_booklibrary&task=view_bl&id=963&catid=102&Itemid=1096

 

 

[60FlatTop]

Some states will title or register a car based on the first sale date. My '53 Jaguar was titled as '54.

 

Titles and registrations were hand written prior to the 1970's. I had a '56 Willys-Overland titled as a '50 due to poor penmanship. Small town motor vehicle department offices can fix that easily. Not so much the ones in big cities, though.

[ron hausmann]

Titles are often wrong. Some states like Michigan have only a limited number of car types in their DMV TITLES lexicon. I tried getting a title for a "three-door" car of mine and also for my "Tourster" awhile back. But the nice lady said that she couldn't put those correct words on the title, because the DMV computer wouldn't let her alter the fields. So I now have a "three-door" car titled as a "two door" Sedan, and a "Tourster" titled as a "Touring". Go figure. 

Ron Hausmann P.E.

 

[John_Mereness]

Many times cars were titles in the year sold - not sure the nomenclature for their doing so, but if you feel a problem most states have a Court process for correcting too.