When it was introduced in 1941, the Hudson Commodore was Hudson’s range-topping vehicle. It remained in production until 1952. The Commodore went on to achieve worldwide fame when a maroon 1949 model had a starring role in the 1989 movie Driving Miss Daisy. This 1949 model is listed for sale here on Craigslist. Located in Belen, New Mexico, it is offered with a clean title. The owner has set a price of $5,800 for this Hudson but is willing to consider offers. Barn Finder Ikey H referred this Hudson to us, and I have to thank him for that.
The owner states that while the car is largely complete, it will require a full restoration. The car has been sitting unused for decades and is in surprisingly good condition. Apart from some rust in the floor on the passenger side (an easy fix according to the owner), there is no obvious rust anywhere on the car. The body has a few minor dings, but once again these should be an easy fix. There are also a few lower body trim pieces missing, but these can be sourced through organizations such as Hudson owners clubs quite easily.
The interior is complete, but will also require restoration. The wooden dash makes it very apparent that this Commodore is as good as it gets with a Hudson. It appears to be complete and looks to be easy to restore. It is nice to see that the original radio is present, and hanging out of the ignition are the original keys.
Sadly we don’t get any shots of the engine, but the owner states that it is the original motor. It is a straight-eight side-valve engine of 254ci. This is backed by a 3-speed manual transmission. The car ran when it was parked back in the late 1980s, so maybe the new owner will be lucky and have little trouble getting it to run again. The gas tank is apparently pretty rotten, and this will require replacing. The seller suggests that given the fact that the original tank is quite boxy (in his words) it may be easy to have a replacement fabricated in stainless steel.
If I were to buy this Hudson I would be so tempted to restore it painted deep maroon in tribute to the movie car. Regardless of that idea, this car looks like it could be a reasonably straight-forward project. It is an elegant car, and thanks to that engine, it also offered quite respectable performance. It certainly deserves to be restored to its former glory.
Why can’t flippers not have the decency to at least take it of the trailer to take pictures? I have no problem with anyone making a buck but it drives me nuts that nobody wants to do a little work for it.
Evidently it didn’t matter…….he only had one to sell and one buyer to find. Looks like he accomplished the task. Great car but I would prefer a Hornet. Incredible cars on the race track in there time. They appear to be such a big heavy hulk when in actuality they were real contenders in NASCAR.
Listing has been deleted by owner.
What a wonderful old sled I’d be quite ok with it parked in my garage it looks very restorable and that’s what I hope the next owner does. Great find.
These old Hudson’s are such handsome cars. I have no idea who was responsible for this era if design but they really hit a home run with these cars.
I agree. This car is gorgeous, inside and out.
Frank Spring Hudson design department
Chris, the main designer for the stepdown Hudson was a man named Frank Spring. Origionally from California he worked at the bodybuilder Murphy of Pasadena until Hudson hired him away to work for them in about 1931 . He was responsible for Hudson designs for many years but the stepdown was one of his best. He designed it quietly during WW2 due to war time restrictions about cars and actually had a prototype made by 1943. It was designed as a sedan and all the other designs for coupes, broughams and convertibles were designed after the sedan.
Thank you, had no idea until now.
Look at the size of that clock in the dash!! My Lord.
Ahhh the Hudson Commodore, the only car that I am aware of that allows me to lie down on the front seat. My head just touches the armrest and my feet just touches the opposite armrest. 6 foot 6½ inches. The snooze t’is grand! zzzzz…
Looking at the rear 3/4 view is just a visual treat. Comparing this car to the current generation of 4-door sedans this one wins hands down. You couldn’t put a sunvisor on a new Impala (which I like) and get the downright sinister look you get on this car.
Keep ’em coming, Ikey!
Honestly can’t pin down exactly why these appeal to me so much but they do… guess it’s the whole package that does it. “Driving Miss Daisy” is very nearly a perfect movie. Very well acted and beautifully filmed. The use of automobiles to mark the passage of time was done so subtly that I didn’t even really notice it, at least the first time I watched the movie. Sure, I’ve heard there are those who are unhappy with Dan Akroyd’s “southern accent” but I’m from the north so it sounds just fine to me…
Uncle Smitty had many Hudsons. So I have many happy memories riding in, and driving these. They look huge and wallowey, but they don’t drive that way. Remember, that these cars were lighter than the competition and the drivetrains were one of the best at the time. They drive smooth and have a low center of gravity. I still would not hesitate to make a cross country trip in one today.
Good times and memories for me.
When I was a kid in the 50’s(age 8-11) I went to a church thing for kids during the week. We lived far enough from the church that it was too far to walk, and most of the time I could get a ride from a neighbor. One of them, Dora Jean, drove a Hudson of this ear, not sure it was the same model or year but being a budding car geek I loved this car and would always be sure to go church when she was driving. Before I got too old to go (yay), she had a new Oldsmobile 4door, want to say a 98 but it didn’t impress me as much as the Hudson. I rode anway.
And Jack Kerouac and friends drove one from east to west coast in 4 days and then were depressed that it was as far as one could go.
Here’s the money shot from the movie, DRIVING MISS DAISY
I was very fortunate to see the car used in the Driving Miss Daisy Movie.
The Wife and I made a trip to Georgia and during a stop at a car show, somebody drove up in the car used in the filming. It was the 1949 Hudson Commodore, owned by Herbert Bell, even though it had been restored by Tolbert N. Lester Jr of nearby Gainesville, GA. The car was very beautiful and well taken care of, I wanted to take a ride in it, but I wasn’t able to.
I usually call the cars of this era “bulgemobiles”. This is certainly 1 and I use it affectionately in this case. Never saw interior wood like this & so as some1 above said: “handsome”.
Neighbor had one, complained that the metal was “thin” and it rusted out too quickly, most obviously, the fenders just above the headlights, but he ordered an “export” model which had a higher and tougher suspension and I don’t know what else, but it sat higher and, he said, rode more firmly. I think, in the 40’s and 50’s you could order “export” models in many makes which had tougher components, suspensions, and sometimes batteries, generators, and different rear axel ratios. Maybe someone knows more about this and can enlighten me and the rest of us.