This week for Fan Car Friday  we bring you Curt and his memorable 1934 Terraplane Business Coupe.  Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. We have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners. This post was made with written consent from the owner.

“The story of how I came to own an iconic 1934 Hudson Terraplane coupe all began in 2006 at the annual Father’s Day car show hosted by the Model A Ford Club of America in Centerville, Virginia. My wife and I had worked our way through the many Model As and were heading down the hill to see the other show cars sparkling in the bright sunshine, when WOW!!! A stunning aqua and white convertible made our jaws drop in unison and say: “OMG, the classic art deco lines; the starburst-painted artillery wheels; the sunrise grill! Who made this car and when?” The car responded to us in a very large voice, “I’m a 1934 Hudson Terraplane, please make me yours.” Well, as much as we would have liked to do just that, it was not for sale, but the car made a lasting impression on both of us.
Flash forward to May 2012: the Model A roadster pickup we’d owned for 15 years was getting boring and really uncomfortable and the ‘85 BMW M6, though a solid trophy winner and one of the best examples of BMW’s “ultimate driving machine,” was costing way too much to maintain and repair. Remembering Sully, a plan was hatched: Find a Terraplane; sell the two other cars; buy the Terraplane!
Within a day, I had found this coupe advertised online on an obscure Pennsylvania car club web site. I immediately called the owner in Tampa, Roy Marks, son of the founder of the National Hudson-Essex-Terraplane club, Merritt Marks. We talked about the car, he sent pictures, and I learned that a guy from California was also interested in buying it, but no deal had been made. I explained to Roy that I would buy the car, but I’d need to sell two cars to have enough cash to purchase it; would he take a check for $2000 and hold the car until I had the cash. He graciously accepted my offer and within two months the Model A was on its way to its new owner in Sweden; within 3 months the M6 was sold to a Porsche guy in DC; a week or so later I was on my way to Tampa to test drive the car; and a month or so after that the Terraplane was in our barn, after being trailered north from Florida and receiving a tune-up and a the clutch replaced.
Now, seven years in, the car is a show stopper. After a few hours of buffing, its dull black paint job sparkled; its original wire wheels were replaced with artillery wheels painted in a 1930’s design by nationally known automotive artist Tom Van Nortwick, who also applied the wonderful red striping that accentuates the body’s swooping curves.
The coupe has been featured in Country Music Television’s movie “NASCAR: The Rise of American Speed” as well as two “Making of the Mob” movies for the History Channel. It also has made its way to many car shows and parades held within Virginia and southeastern North Carolina, perhaps even traveling over some of the same roads used by the bootleggers and their pursuers in the early 30s as depicted by the NASCAR movie.
We really do enjoy celebrating the automotive history of the 30s and sharing this story of how lucky we were to find one of the finest survivors from that era.“

The Terraplane was a car brand and model built by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, between 1932 and 1938. In its maiden year, the car was branded as the Essex-Terraplane; in 1934 the car became simply the Terraplane. They were inexpensive, yet powerful vehicles that were used in both town and country, as both cars and trucks bore the Terraplane name.

For 1934 the word “Essex” was dropped and the car became the Terraplane. The cars were slightly heavier and rarely joined competitive events, particularly as they now lacked the eight-cylinder powerplant. The name Terraplane remained constant through the 1937 model year. By 1936, Terraplane commercial cars were produced in larger numbers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraplane

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