1948 Hudson Commodore Custom Station Wagon

When America resumed civilian vehicle production after World War II, the first all-new postwar design was Hudson's new 'step-down' cars which entered production in late 1947 for the 1948 model year. Hudson had discontinued all commercial, utility, and station wagon lines after WWII - except for the pickup trucks, and they produced just one prototype pickup truck prior to the idea being shelved. A step-down design for the postwar step-down design was never even considered by Hudson. It was, however, an idea of Don Butler, a recently discharged U.S. Army Air Force veteran. He had been hired in 1946 by Hudson's styling supervisor, Arthur Kibiger. He had honed his talents while serving in the Army, perfecting his technique as an illustrator for instruction manuals and training materials.

Although Butler worked for Hudson, he continuously sketched his own designs, now using Hudson as the basis. He even sketched several body styles he felt should be built as step-down models, including a station wagon, pickup truck, and town car. Hudson, however, was not interested, as they had spent a then-astronomical $16 million on the step-down design program and tooling. Thus, Butler's drawings remained unknown until the publication of his book, 'The History of Hudson,' in 1982.

The introduction of Butler's illustrations inspired Bill Eggert of Denver to build this 'one of none' Station Wagon. He used a rust-free 1948 Hudson Commodore Eight four-door sedan located in Missouri as the donor car. For the rear passenger/cargo compartment, Eggert used a 1954 Hudson donor car, its roof forming the bulk of the wagon's rear roof section. A curved liftgate window was formed from Lexan. The woodwork proved difficult, being hand-crafted and carefully finished for correct fitment. The wood was Ash framing with veneered Mahogany insert panels. The Mahogany veneer was bonded to metal panels to fabricate the compound curves at the rear of the quarter panels.

The competed Commodore Station Wagon made its public debut at the 2007 National Meet of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club held at Auburn, Indiana.

In 2012, this car joined the Eldon Hostetler collection. In 2015, it received further attention at LaVine Restorations in Nappanee, Indiana.

This Model 484 is powered by a 254.5 cubic-inch L-head inline eight-cylinder engine offering 128 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Its wheelbase measures 124 inches.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2019

This Hudson Commodore Eight Custom Station Wagon was a car that was never built. In the post-War era, Hudson discontinued all commercial, utility, and station wagon lines, except for pickup trucks. In 1948, they introduced a new and radical 'step-down' design. One prototype pickup was built before the idea was abandoned. The product line-up included Super Six, Commodore six and Commodore Eight Coupes, convertibles, and sedans. There were a total of 117,200 cars built in 1948, and the new tooling cost an astronomical $16,000,000 and left no money to build a woodie wagon. Don Butler, Hudson's famed designer, decided to design a woodie wagon anyway, but management deemed it too costly to build.

Don Butler had recently been discharged as a veteran from the Army Air Force. In 1946 he was hired by Hudson's styling supervisor, Arthur Kibinger. While in the Army, he sharpened his skills and techniques as an illustrator for instruction manuals and training materials. During his off-duty hours, he drew cars. After joining Hudson, he helped work on the final drawings for the step-down models. He continued sketching his own designs, now using Hudson as the basis. He sketched several body styles that management was unaware of at the time. His step-down designs included a station wagon, a pickup, and a town car, the latter appearing both with and without a wood applique. Unfortunately, there was no official interest in his ideas, so his ideas remained hidden until the publication of his 1982 Crestline book The History of Hudson.

Butler's illustrations in the book fostered much interest among Hudson enthusiasts, including Bill Eggert of Denver. Inspired by the drawings, Eggert began work on a period-inspired Hudson Woody Wagon. He began with a rust-free 1948 Hudson Commodore Eight four-door sedan from Missouri. For the rear 'cabin', he used a 1954 Hudson donor car, its roof forming the greater part of the wagon's rear roof. The curved lift-gate window was formed from Lexan. The wood was difficult to forge; every stick had to be hand-crafted and finished to fit. The woodworking alone took over a year to create all the pieces using ash framing with mahogany veneer.

After the work was completed, the car made its debut at the 2007 National Meet of the Hudson Essex Terraplane Club at Auburn, Indiana. It was the only woodie in attendance and certainly the star of the show. Since that time, the unique creation has been shown just once before coming to auction in 2012.

The L-head inline eight-cylinder engine displaces 254.5 cubic inches and offers 128 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the St. Johns sale presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $150,000 to $200,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for $195,500 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2012