Not a Tucker

With its first-year “step-down” design, this 1948 Hudson is sometimes confused with the legendary Tucker. In this video Steve demonstrates how Hudson was almost as advanced.

[@8632tony]

Still have Dad's '49 Commodore Six. He loved that car. Clock wasn't working until Dad had to brake hard one time. I was a toddler standing on the seat next to him. My head broke the clock glass (yes it was real glass) and the clock started working. Dad replaced the glass and I had a boo-boo that rated a coveted Bandaid.

[@Mr.Death101]

It's always a great morning when you sit down with your coffee and realize Steve just posted a new video. What are we going to learn? And are we going to see Katie? Is lockjaw going to make an appearance? Who knows what's in store. What a great start to the day!

[@lianwalton9194]

Ditto-either way a fine start to my day…

[@paulboone44444]

What a great cult to be a part of.. Mags blows me away every time... Definitely in the top 5 in the world with Domestic car knowledge 👌

[@lianwalton9194]

@@paulboone44444 My feelings exactly-although I wish he’d give it up on the phonetic Bernardston introduction-cripes already…

[@SteveMagnante]

@@lianwalton9194 Hello PAUL Boone, Thanks for watching and writing. I "over annunciate" the BER-NARD-STON Auto Wrecking" intro because early on I had a habit of saying it too fast and viewers that wanted to reach out to Bernardston Auto Wrecking honcho Dale Hastings to inquire about buying parts or cars complained that I was mumbling the words and they couldn't Google my "mumble". That's the back story on that stuff. Anyhoo, Thanks again for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante

[@CatholicBoy1957]

Maybe flash their sign on the screen? It took a lot of watching until I figured out how to pronounce "mon YAWN ee". .

[@DeadInsideButStillSmiling]

Always love learning more about Independent car makers from way back when.

[@bk14nyc]

WOW, is that Hudson BEAUTIFUL 😍. Can you imagine that car Brand New at the Hudson Showroom Floor! 💥

[@rescuedandrestoredgarage]

That car is incredible and deserves to live again.

[@patdesrosiers6423]

Would be nice to save it but there may not be much left underneath. I’ve seen 55 Chevy hardtops and Mercury lead sled cars in the New England woods so far gone they would break in half if a guy tried to move them

[@rescuedandrestoredgarage]

@Pat Desrosiers now that sucks. But then let's make BBQs or garage art or something. let them live in some form or another, and make them into more than just rust. Just my thoughts.

[@diegosilang4823]

@@patdesrosiers6423 As long the car is mostly complete and the vin numbers matches, all rotted metals parts can be replaced and repaired, but takes a lot of time and maybe money, depending on your welding skillz. If the car being mostly incomplete or broken is a pain to restore, you have to scour 50 states for parts! Alternatively, you might be lucky to find a similar stripped rolling body from California, Texas, New Mexico or Arizona, then you transfer the parts and you are halfway done.

[@mitchelrowe7363]

That is one Kool Kar! It's basically got everything you gotta do to a Merc to make it look Kuul!

[@julios1968]

My man Steve in the snow with only a t shirt,gotta love old cars.

[@Adrian-mq5ld]

man you have no idea how much I scrolled down to get to your message ....I was hypnotized by this fact lol

[@haljohnson5729]

My grandparents talked about Hudsons like they were the top of the automotive world. I don't believe my grandfather ever owned one but rather lusted after it.

[@formula112967]

My dad (born in 1925) would also talk about Hudson cars being very ahead of their time and innovative with the step-down floors. He also did not own one, but one of his military buddies did.

[@peterruddick1952]

As kids, we used to make fun of Hudsons b/c they were "uncool" compared to Chevys and Fords. As adults we came to realize that they were better and more advanced cars. Really liked those '48 dashes and plush interiors. Since Hudson racing was based on the famous 308 six, didn't realize they also had the in-line eight

[@butcher390]

Hudson Commodore 8 ??!! 🤩🙆‍♂️ What a find , especially in Massachusetts !! Look at all of the , attention too detail It's still so complete , that's amazing !! Aluminum cylinder head ?? 🤯 Look at how roomy , the interior is !! Ergonomics were ahead of its time . Wicked Awesome model kit , Steve Mobius ?

[@daveywaite25]

Now THAT'S a drive-in worthy back seat !!

[@arise2945]

Many step-down Hudsons had a pull down center arm rest in the rear and they were HUGE - they are almost the middle third of the seat back. The young ladies could set up an obstacle course back there.

[@messingwithcars]

Steve you've one of the best channels on KZbin, there's so much information in every episode that is a pleasure to watch 👍🙂

[@pat8988]

It's funny what the memory will do. I could smell that old interior as soon as Steve opened the door. Really tickled my nose. 😀

[@JamesSimon-jm9cn]

As a MOPAR/AMC guy, I approve of this episode! I hope you find a Matador, and a Pacer soon! :)

[@walterbrown8694]

I can't see how anyone could ever mistake a '48 Hudson for a Tucker - Most obvious thing about the Tucker was the large mid grille headlight which no other car of that time had. Never owned a Hudson, but they had an impressively great ride ( my personal experience ) I remember the newspaper and radio ads of the time proclaiming the "step down" feature when entering the car.

[@rockettcustoms6266]

I don't get it either. Doesn't make any sense.

[@urbanurchin5930]

@@rockettcustoms6266 You're correct - it doesn't make any sense.....especially since there are less than 50 surviving Tuckers in existence. And even some of them that have been lost forever, have been documented on the Tucker web page.

[@MikeBrown-ii3pt]

I don't see it either.

[@sparent9922]

Not true. The Tatra from Europe had one in,1938

[@ernielaw]

I se no Similarities between Hudson and Tucker, but the 1950 Studebaker bore a strong resemblance to Tucker.

[@olivei2484]

I have always liked Hudsons. Best lines.

[@johncat8347]

I've never ceased to amaze How much information Steve has

[@xfactorautomotive1496]

My 1931 Plymouth has the genuine immatation wood around the windows that the Hudson has on the doors. It's quite convincing! I have had alot of people say "the wood trim is in great shape" and are surprised when I tell them it's just metal they painted to LOOK like wood.

[@jrmbusa]

Steve, you're doing a very good job making your description well documented and factual. I know my Hudsons and you're right on with your comments. Keep at it Brother!

[@danw6014]

Glad to see some of your snow has melted off but it sounds like another snow storm coming in for you in the east.

[@vincentbasso4903]

Any one who knows cars will know that it's a Hudson and not a Tucker ! Really Steve !

[@rockettcustoms6266]

Even somebody who doesn't know much about cars would know a Hudson from a Tucker.

[@carlbentley80]

Beautiful, those seats look so comfortable.

[@just4guitar558]

I dare to say that the Commodore was the inspiration for all of those ‘49-50 Ford chop tops…. The B-pillar, stock, can’t be much more than 10”.

[@willhorting5317]

Always liked all of the Hudson designs.

[@albertgaspar627]

Many people at car shows mistake the Hudsons for "Rebel without a cause" Mercuries, because they don't know the Merc has a body line that steps down from headlights to tail lights. Often they don't know why the Cars cartoon movie had a Hudson in it voiced by Paul Newman until they learn NASCAR history. when our fathers were young and dirty minded and these cars were new, they had a joke...."I bought my girlfriend a Kaiser to surprise her. Then I bought her a Fraiser to amaze her. Finally I bought a Tucker...."

[@jimbartalone8773]

My dad owned 2 different Hudsons during the 50s (long before I was born.) Mom said her much younger brothers would climb onto the roof of those cars and slide down the backlight & trunk lid, until Dad would chase them off. Those must have been good times!

[@urbanurchin5930]

Don't know about "good times" - your dad probably was not too happy about bratty kids scratching the paint on his car. I know - when I was a kid - my dad screamed about the neighbors cats leaving paw prints on his car and going into a rage when we went to tourist traps in the Ozarks, and hill billies would put bumper stickers on while the car was in the parking lot. I think anger issues were less diagnosed back in those days.

[@jimbartalone8773]

@@urbanurchin5930 Yeah, my uncles were hooligans. They still are, even in their 70s!

[@ernielaw]

They should have been given a slide so they wouldn't scratch the Hudson.

[@jamespn]

Great junk yard crawls Steve, keep up the good work.

[@tracyschmitz9192]

My Grandfather had a 48. Don't know if it was a Commadore or not though. I do know that my father took down about 100 feet of a 4 board wood fence and then capped it off with breaking a telephone pole in half. My uncle and him fixed the small amount of body damage and the big dent in the roof(the telephone pole) and had it back on the road within a month. I guess seat belts weren't as important if your car was built like a tank.

[@CatholicBoy1957]

Thanks for letting us know that Katie is safe. She is detained in the front seat of a white Silverado until recording is finished. 1:33 .

[@kid7856]

Back in the day changing tires was more of a regular occurrence than today, so that no wheel opening must have been a pain.

[@blowupbob1]

Your comment reminds me of the movie "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie and his dad were changing the tire, and the mother was timing them like they were in the pits of the Indy 500!

[@burthenry7740]

I can't believe I forgot to mention a cool Hudson factoid until now! They had a cork clutch! The clutch facings were made of cork inserts and they were a 'wet' clutch. Which means they ran in a special oil called 'Hudsonite'. Really just 10 weight oil, supposedly. 😁

[@throckmorton8477]

All these Hudson videos lately and you don't mention the cork clutch 'till now? Dude you're 'slipping' LOL

[@jimrky6062]

Love this about Hudsons. I remember an old Hudson Dealership, closed, but still badged, out in Milford, MA area in the 80's. Great cars, if you liked them ... bulky.

[@paulboone44444]

Thanks for your efforts Mr. Mags. Great education!

[@blowupbob1]

Steve, I think the clock stopped at twenty past one in the morning! At any rate it's still correct twice a day! Nice of Katie to demonstrate the proper step down procedure out of the truck!

[@davidmiles8941]

Such an iconic and unusual looking car, love to save that one. I've shared this video on all scale modellers website.

[@johngranato2673]

Hudson has really stepped down

[@robbchastain3036]

Indeed, Steve, the first Cars movie by Pixar is a work of art, a beautiful story about the passing of time and looking back and maybe holding onto what once was just a little longer. And c'mon, you just gotta give a shout to Sarge and Fillmore, too. And Ramon, everybody loves those low riders who go a little slower and a whole lot flashier. And Pixar did a great job with the first two Toy Story movies, too.

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Man I love that style! That car definitely must have been a looker in its hay day! Just beautiful design! Sad seeing it in such condition!

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I've always wanted a Hudson. Imagine driving one in a Nascar race

[@HotRod-wv4vm]

This must have been an awesome looking car 🚙 when new

[@1223jamez]

If that was a Tucker it would not be in a junkyard I can tell you that! Tuckers are loads of cash! Great video!

[@user-yw6ei8yt4q]

That Wagon behind you at the end of this video is a gm fwd A body. I loved those as I had 3,. I had a 93 Century wagon for 15 yrs, great car

[@Scott_From_Maine]

That's one of the most interesting cars you've ever shown.

[@Andrew-bb3lc]

A Hudson like this was in the movie Driving Miss Daisy. I was the first car that Morgan Freeman would drive Jessica Tandy around in. I believe it was the same color as this Hudson as well and I believe it was a 1948 or 1949.

[@RoadNoise29100]

Outstanding story!

[@Slimjim260]

Another grand old car, wish it didn’t have to go to the boneyard thanks Steve!

[@brianandglendaharkin9457]

👍🏻💯🇦🇺good work as always Steve telling the auto history 👍🏻💯.

[@sombra6153]

One of these days, you should surprise us with a video featuring your wheel barrow we’ve seen in the background several times. Anyway, you always do these old vehicles justice.

[@donhoffman3206]

Correction: wheelbarrow(S) The secret Magnante Wheelbarrow Collection has appeared in multiple styles. Lately there has appeared a orange/yellow unit is a two wheeler while in another thrilling episode a single wheeled one appears in dark gray....... .Hooray for Hazel, she put me down!

[@elp4740]

Thanks Steve, great video. Another day in the junkyard classroom, love the model car props. Didn't know about this car, but now I do!

[@randyauer7303]

Morning Steve Good information on the Hudson a lot of things I didn't know peace

[@denniskranes7568]

He's amazing

[@wreckerjonny6144]

I use to yank all the dash boards out of the old 50's era cars if they were complete to make wall hangers polished up all the chrome and repainted them if needed. Most just needed a good cleaning. Could see letting them get crushed when cars got scrapped out

[@jnightingale1918]

It's great to see a profile on a Step-down Hudson. I always liked this cars. Thanks @steve for your vast information on this model. I'd be curious if you ever find a Hudson Jet in your junkyard crawls.

[@jeffreysproul9110]

The more I see these Hudson Hornets the more I see a similarity between them and the classic Jaguar Xk120 sedan especially the rear. Very curved and low to the ground. I always liked those classic Jaguars and like this Hudson as well.

[@MamaMia945]

Steve: please, please, please do a video on that amazing dodge crew cab with the incredible paint job in the background! I love your videos. They are my main source of classic car education.

[@rondpert5167]

Hey. i think that's my Caprice wagon next door. Wow. 6, push button presets on the factory radio.

[@vettekid3326]

It was pretty much a sellers market after WW2 ended up until around 1949 and Hudson beat the big three with the totally new 1948 Hudson design and continued to steal sales from them until they all caught up with better and cheaper designs both on the aesthetic and engineering side and that's when the independent makers started to fade away. By the way Hudson made pickup trucks up until 1947 that were based on their lower priced six models one could consider the forerunner of the Ranchero / El Camino with car styling and comfort.

[@DanEBoyd]

The Hudson Terrapin I think.

[@kevinrussell5099]

Dan E. Boyd, the Terraplane was a lower priced model from Hudson in the 30's.

[@johnmcdermott8523]

My mother's first cousin had a '52 Hornet in Honululu Blue, which he had touched up occasionally at Charlie Regneris' Alter Collision on east side of Detroit near where they were made. Charlie Regneris' daily driver was a '51 Hudson coupe which he drove year round. Regneris had several other Hudsons including the rare '55 Italia.

[@jimbo3214]

My dad loved Hudson. He had a Hornet and swore it was the fastest car he ever owned.

[@Oscarphone]

Back in the late 60s when I was considerably younger, there was a Hudson turtleback like this that showed up at the local drags n the street stock classes. Back then he raced the tri-five Chevies in that class and put them all on the trailer. It had "The Green Frog" (or something like that) crudely painted on the side. It was a fast, three-on-the-tree Dual H-Power two door.

[@jeffclark2725]

That Hudson would have been great with a Tucker motor, Great video, learn so much

[@jimbo3214]

Driving Miss Daisy!

[@ChaChiVooDoo]

Back in the 80's a young guy in town owned an early 50's Hudson Wasp 4dr like that. I didnt come across it until it was in primer and then a not too flattering color of metallic green later. He drove the snot out of it for years and always kept it parked on the street in front of his house on a busy street until one day it got sideswiped and ruined. He never fixed it after that and a few years later it was gone. A very cool looking body style then as now.

[@TrashcanGarage]

The 53 Packard Mayfair 2dr ht I found up the road has a 327 Thunderbolt straight 8. You gotta love those names they came up with.

[@gorgeesteves422]

Hola que hermoso auto es muy triste verlo con ese abandono gracias por estos vídeos 👍👍👍

[@MasteringTheModel]

I can see a cool build in this car - wouldn't mind finding a nice solid 2 door to make into a hot rod.

[@stevehenderson2571]

My mom’s favorite car. She loved that car.

[@HotRod-wv4vm]

Good stuff and loved you model ❤

[@davidchristensen6908]

It might be fun to have all of your videos organized by manufacturers , date and models. I can see watching the videos more in order and see the improv,ents over time.

[@urbanurchin5930]

This is an interesting idea. I will bet, that sometime in the future, these car channels will think to assemble "collections" of their popular videos and offer them for sale as a compiled series. There are several channels that have multi-part episodes doing complete builds.....another way to cash in $$$$$$

[@samiam5557]

Hooray for HUDSON!

[@taylorlengyel]

love Hudson! great cars! thanks for doing a video on this one

[@Bbbuddy]

Interesting that it still has a rear seat blanket rail.

[@stevehenderson2571]

Hope you’re improving Steve. We’re pulling & 🙏🏻 for you buddy.

[@christopherprince3250]

Thanks for mentioning the Flock Brothers.

[@nightlightabcd]

I could not help but notice that you were out in the snow wearing a T shirt! It would be good if someone with the resources and abilities would rescue this. I used to know a man that had a Kaiser . The only one I have ever seen.

[@SteveMagnante]

Hello nightlightabcd, Thanks for watching and writing. I do wear THREE T-shirts in layers doing these winter time videos. I'm not as chilly as it might seem. Plus I have some extra "insulation" courtesy of DAILY visits to Pizza Palace in North Brookfield, MA. If you like Kaisers, be sure to check out the Junkyard Crawl videos I did on the Kaiser Vagabond "hatch back" and the '51 Kaiser DeLuxe 2-door coupe. They can be found in this channel's Play List. Thanks again for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante

[@richdiscoveries]

The old Stop & Shop logo was awesome to see, haven't seen one like that in decades

[@googleusergp]

They are indeed a New England chain, although they are all over the Northeast.

[@richdiscoveries]

@@googleusergp yes sir.. I am in Connecticut and they are every four or five blocks or so... Just kidding, kinda. Lol I haven't seen that old style logo like that since I was a kid, that was a really cool find🙂

[@googleusergp]

@@richdiscoveries They bought up/replaced most of the Pathmark supermarkets in the Northeast from what I remember. The one near me was a former Pathmark. The building that housed the Pathmark prior to 1982 was a hardware store and I worked in there as a teenager/undergraduate college student.

[@richdiscoveries]

@@googleusergp that's right, I believe you are correct. I forgot all about Pathmark. That's one I haven't heard in years. Then there was A&P, I don't think they're still around anymore?. It probably either got bought out by Stop & Shop?

[@googleusergp]

@@richdiscoveries A&P went Chapter 11 around 2015. Depending on the store, various other brands bought the locations---most NYC Pathmarks became Stop and Shops, Key Food bought others, Albertsons others, etc. Basically, I believe it got divided up into who wanted what in what area.

[@charlesberlemann8831]

Steve may have mistaken this car for a Tucker, but I knew what it was in a glance.

[@johnhoffman2818]

Love the Hudson. My aunt had one. A lot of metal. Great car!

[@RDEnduro]

According to google they made just over 35,000 of those in 48'. Great find Steve

[@denniskranes7568]

He's great best ever

[@brianbloom1799]

Good Morning Steve, I have always thought the Hudson Back end was Great looking car, sleek back windows. If the nose was chopped to match the Back. would Be awesome..Thanks for the information.

[@debbiebermudez5890]

Mr. Here here ! Morning to all ! Steve as a kid in Brooklyn NY, I saw one of these were I lived 59 or 60. It looked weird with the cars of the day ! As a dum kid who knew nothing about car ! LOL ! 😊😊😊😊😊

[@tomwesley7884]

Morning

[@richardlarson2969]

You give us the most incredible detailed information. I never knew anything about the connection of Smokey Yunick to Hudson and big Bill France. Really an interesting video. Thanks.

[@googleusergp]

Hudson was also the first to hire a female designer, Betty Thatcher Oros, whose husband worked for Cadillac for a time. She passed away in 2001. You could get a Hudson in a convertible in this generation as well, which ran from 1948-1952. The front seat had a tag that said something that would have been interesting to read. Possible code "M" Maroon Deep exterior paint. Hopefully the Caprice wagon is next on the video list, and Katie seems to be enjoying the "OBS" Cheyenne that she jumped out of. She looks like a great woofer and junkyard companion.

[@tomwesley7884]

Don't know why that tag was there, sure was conspicuous

[@googleusergp]

@@tomwesley7884 Back then, a tag like that would give some "sales talk" about the benefits of the seating, or whatever was being advertised as a feature. The old owner's guide for my 1960s Craftsman tool storage goes into depth about the "I frame" shape of the tool boxes and how the drawers were cycled X amount of times with no wear in them, etc.

[@ddellwo]

Those late “square body” GM wagons are really starting to ramp up in value! There is a guy here in my local area who has one that looks to be in really nice condition - from the sound of it, I’m guessing he’s put on a cat-back exhaust system and he has a nice set of slot-mags with RWL tires on it. Looks COOL AS HECK - wouldn’t mind something like that at all to run errands in……!!!

[@googleusergp]

@@ddellwo My old commuting partner had three of them, a 1985 Caprice with a 305 V8 that was used as a parts hauler when he had his parts store, a 1988 Caprice with a 307 Olds V8 that he bought from a coworker and had to put an engine in (because it burned oil). The used engine was rumored to come from Barbara Eden's personal vehicle. My friend bought it for $50 off a guy in upstate NY from under a tarp. He cleaned it up, put new gaskets on it, put it in the car and fired it up. Ran for another 100k before he got rid of the car. He then replaced it with a 1989 Olds Custom Cruiser (of course another 307 Olds V8), which he still had the last I spoke to him.

[@SteveMagnante]

@@googleusergp Barbara Eden from "I Dream Of Genie"...yes? -Steve Magnante

[@madmike2624]

Great video Steve and Shane! Steve your car history knowledge is impeccable! You always have a way with your nuggets if information that must have taken years of study to acquire!

[@urbanurchin5930]

.....having an extensive library of old car and hot rod magazines helps enormously - you don't think he knows all of this off the top-of-his-head ? do you ? Steve is a smart fellow in the ways of video production also - have you noticed the erasable white board, off camera, in some of his videos ? He uses the white board to outline the topics he wants to cover and highlight. Maybe instead of "mad mike" we should call you "gullible mike". There is nothing wrong with the way Mags produces his videos - he is quite good at it and has found a niche' audience - just don't gush all over like a school girl !

[@madmike2624]

@@urbanurchin5930 geez, take a pill my goodness you're a touchy fella!

[@mrblack6467]

At the end you’ll see an Olds Ciera wood grain wagon. I got the stereo out of that. It had the UX1 Delco EQ. 👍 Didn’t see any magazines….

[@vet-7174]

Good Morning Gents 🇺🇸 !

[@kencraig7308]

I was waiting for your hood prop to snap 🤓

[@redneck5356]

Definitely a cool car.

[@redneck5356]

And it didn’t look like a potato.

[@bradkay]

I've never known anyone to mistake a Hudson for anything except a customized Mercury.

[@knutbkristiansen]

Awesome video

[@tomlundberg2121]

Love the video, but I have to apologize!! I had to watch it 3 times to finally focus on you Steve and the Hudson. That wild pink and yellow, what appears to be an old school Ford Falcon (mid-60's?) drag racer, keep distracting me. Thank-you guys for the awesome videos!

[@rockettcustoms6266]

I've never heard of anyone confusing a Hudson with a Tucker, they look absolutely nothing alike. I always thought they looked similar to the '49-'51 Mercury.

[@rockatanskyrodshop8533]

I'm building a 51 hudson right now

[@tomwesley7884]

Morning, glad you saw this vidjia

[@googleusergp]

Rebuilding, not building. Hudson Motors built it originally, hobbyists rebuild/refinish/restore them.

[@rockatanskyrodshop8533]

@Google User GP well when I say build I'm talking about a pile of parts from 4 cars bashed into one down here we call that building a car when you start with nothing and make something

[@googleusergp]

@@rockatanskyrodshop8533 Except those parts existed already, you didn't create them. You didn't forge your own pistons, heads, crank, block or body parts. You're assembling it from parts previously built and installed already. That's "rebuilding", not building a car.

[@gteefxr3094]

Oh, please, will ya'? We all know if there's one thing you know, it's everything. Give it a break already.

[@daveridgeway2639]

Hi Steve, good video! In Europe, a single back-up lamp on the (drivers side) is not uncommon, but in the mean time, it is a clear lens fog lamp, that is much brighter. Back-up lamps are for safe backing at night, not for warning cars behind you. Please reply. Dave...

[@americarsqueensland1667]

I see that 80's GM wagon behind you. I have an 87 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wagon. I suggest you do a show on these wagons.

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

Don’t worry Steve, that clock is right twice a day.

[@marioncobaretti2280]

Thnx steve

[@jims6323]

Smokey got his start with Hudsons!

[@oldsledpurgatory3595]

Check that wagon next door for a posi 8.8, and then empty it for more hubcap game material.