Every time I hear the “Terraplane” name, an aviation theme comes to mind. But that’s only partially true as it was a product line of cars and trucks built by the Hudson Motor Car Co. from 1932 to 1938. The Terraplane served as a more affordable way for Americans to buy a new vehicle in the years following The Great Depression. This edition from 1938 is a pickup that appears to be in good shape, but the seller doesn’t provide much in the way of details or photos. Located in Anderson, Indiana, this rare truck is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $15,000.
The Terraplane began as an Essex, one of Hudson’s sister companies, but was later branded as either Terraplane or Hudson Terraplane. The company’s marketing gurus went all out in promoting the Terraplane, even coming up with the catchy, “On the sea, that’s aquaplaning, in the air that’s aeroplaning, but on the land…..hot diggity dog, that’s Terraplaning!” The cars were pioneers in at least one area, braking, where both hydraulic and mechanical brakes were deployed (the latter was something of a Plan B if Plan A failed).
Hudson is said to have done away with the Terraplane in 1939 because the machines were perceived as taking sales away from other, more profitable Hudson products. The seller mentions this pickup has a flathead V8 that runs. But indications are that Hudson only offered a straight-eight in those days. Is that correct or could the engine be from another vehicle (like a Ford; no engine compartment photos are provided)?
This pickup looks to be in solid but used condition. If it could talk, it probably would have some interesting tales to tell after more than 85 years. With the surviving population of these things likely small, I wonder have difficult it would be to find parts.
Attractive and different – and almost as sharp looking as the ’47 version! At a great price though details on powertrain would be helpful…
Hi Russ. 1932 -1938 were the absolute depths of the depression. The market crashed in ’29. Ten years of privation followed.
The seller is right about the engine partially. It may not be a V8 but the head is flat..and this is a not-you-see-everyday vehicle that isn’t in bad condition. Most importantly, it inspired the later El Camino and Ranchero car-ups.
Yes, and the seller is also “partially correct” because he successfully counted the number of cylinders- but he’s w-r-r-o-n-g, as Fonzie would say. Not a V8. Flathead or otherwise.
Pretty cool, but is that a gaping hole in front of the steering wheel where all the gauges should be?
Your hunch seems to be on the money, although I’m wondering if the oil, temp, fuel and amp gauges are in the four slots in the center of the dash and the speedo was all that sat in front of the wheel. At the minimum it makes you wonder what happened to the original.
I like the cardboard for a headlight😄.
BEAUTIFUL rig but too many question marks for that ask. Can’t imagine sourcing parts would be a walk in the park.
Stop traffic or create traffic. Either way you’ll never tire of experts or the curious.
Beautiful Hudson Terraplane truck, and a reasonable price too. But what’s the point of posting if you can’t supply some engine photos? Ridiculous. If this truck came with the straight flat 8, it would have had tons of torque. But with no pics we don’t know what’s going on under its hood. And yes, that does look like the speedo cluster is missing in the dash.
Currently restoring a 1935 Terraplane pickup. Yes T plane pickups are rare but very beautiful. Most parts are Hudson / Terraplane car parts. There is a robust club with lots of support for club members. This truck will sell quickly.
That’s a steal at that price, all the pickup parts are there. Dash and most front end parts easily sourced from car parts. This pickup even has the tool locker box in the bed.
Both mechanical and hydraulic brakes? How on earth did that work? After WWII the Brits produced cars for a while with hydraulic front but mechanical rear brakes, done mostly I think, as a cost saving measure. Bentley/Rolls-Royce had hydraulic/mechanical brakes all the way from 1946 to 1966 that were operated by a transmission driven friction brakeservo.
Chinga trailer, I was wondering how both hydraulic and mechanical brakes would work too. Like you said, maybe hydraulic in front and mechanical in back. Ford was the last one on board with hydraulic brakes, not offering them until 1939, I believe. I don’t know enough about Hudson, to know when they offered hydraulic brakes.
Hudson had what they called “ double safe brakes “ . It involved a linkage to the rear brakes in the event of a line or cylinder failure, the brake pedal would apply the rear brakes through that linkage.
Hudson was the first to offer master brake cylinder that had two fluid reservoirs. I don’t know if they had this as early as the Terraplane era. I was grateful for this feature because one day while driving my 1950 Hudson down a steep hill my brake pedal felt much softer than usual. Later I mentioned this to my mechanic who checked the brakes and told me there was a leak in the brake system, but I still had working brakes because of the second reservoir which was a safety feature. Shame on him for not rebuilding the master cylinder in the first place on a very old car.
Beautiful car, but finding parts oughtta be a nightmare!
A friend of mine in York, PA had a restored 1940 or 1941 Hudson pickup truck. Looked similar to the Terraplane truck. Really beautiful trucks when restored. No problem getting parts since this guy had worked as mechanic at an AMC dealership and he used to buy their inventory of parts when AMC went out of business. He got everything for pennies on the dollar. Famous Bob Kerchner, Hudson collector of the Pennsylvania Dutch chapter of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane club. R.I.P. Bob.
I could be wrong, but I think that ‘32 was the only year Terraplane had an eight and that was a straight eight. Chances are this truck no longer has a Hudson engine.
That first year, the Terraplane was powered by a 193-cubic inch 70-hp engine (the next year an 8-cylinder 243-cubic inch with 94-hp became an option).
I found this info online.
Just an Art Deco, truck in motion. Again such a shame seller can’t provide engine pics for this beauty. Just makes no sense.Flat straight eight would be preferable, or a later V8 flat head from Ford. But which is it? Great price, but limited pics and info.
The HET (Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club) is a great source for info and expertise. You’ll likely get some responses from members. Stay tuned.
like 2 C the ’35 + sedan or coupe right next to it. But
only like patina on top deffiniton of ‘survivor’ (a lill) and
hate it cleared over…
This one might B the right one to bring back~