West Coast Classics is proud to present an absolutely exceptional example of this completely rust free and an older restoration only as required over the years (for example one repaint) example of a very desirable 1951 Hudson Pacemaker 2 Door Club Coupe in a very striking color combination with it's original striped weave cord upholstery with 'Dura-Fab' trim, its original 232 cu in Flathead 6 cylinder engine matched to a 3 speed column shift transmission with factory Overdrive and with a 'Weather Control' heater (a $64 option), radio & antenna (an $84 option), electric clock ($17), fender skirts, twin Hudson spotlights, deluxe wide whitewall tires on deluxe hubcaps ($10) and trim rings ($13), 18" two-spoke steering wheel, dual sun visors, front dome lamp, chrome rocker panel moldings, illuminated grille medallion & hood ornament. This car oozes pride of ownership and was part of a renown collection for many years until recently acquired.
Hudson in 1951 was now producing a sleek fastback design with the lowest overall height of any American car that year. The cabin floor was placed beneath the top of the frame rails and the entire passenger cabin was lowered in the same manner as when hot rodders "channel" a body! This practice allowed the roof to be dropped without a loss of interior space and this "step down" design lowered the car's center of gravity which enable superior handling and which resulted in a multitude of wins and near dominance in NASCAR races with its high performance L head 6 cylinder engine which was now introduced into a new series named the Hornet and with the Hornet winning 12 of the 41 NASCAR Grand National races in 1951 alone!
One of the truly significant new designs of the post war years, the "Step Down" Hudson was remarkably low and sleek. It even looks modern today! The unit body/chassis construction featured a dropped floorpan surrounded by massive chassis girders for a very safe and solid structure. Big instrument dials and armchair comfort seats marked their exceptionally roomy interior. The result of all this was soaring sales and the most remembered Hudson (1951-53) of these post war years and one of the industry's all time greats with the Hornet becoming virtually unbeatable in stock car racing through 1954! It continued to compete with the same success even after the Step Down line came to an end with the Nash based 1955 Hudsons. Amazingly all this racing success was achieved with this 6 cylinder engine, the last performance six before Pontiac's late '60's overhead cam engine. All L Head 6 cylinders from this particular era are highly desirable, with the Hornet's legendary performance prowess in NASCAR maybe giving it an edge in collector appeal over the basically identical Pacemaker, Super Six & Wasp models.
The car was part of renown car collector Dennis Varni's personal collection and his 'Speed Nymph Garage' is a veritable hot rod museum of classic American and foreign roadsters, muscle cars, street rods, trucks, buses, sedans, coupes, not to mention historic motorcycles. The legendary 'Peterson Automotive Museum' review of his collection is titled "THE FASTEST CAR COLLECTION WE'VE EVER TOURED | ROAD TO CAR WEEK DAY 2" and we have posted a link to the video on our website. The car was reportedly passed between static collections for many decades until recently acquired from the Varni collection and has been subsequently been kept mechanically sound throughout the years and the car drives very well indeed with the 232 Flathead engine and 3 spd manual transmission both very strong but please note we have noticed some vibration/noise noticeable from the drivetrain or rear axle.
This car was nicely factory optioned with original factory options of the car including: 232 CID 6 cylinder engine, 3 speed manual transmission with Overdrive original push button AM radio; Whitewall tires on deluxe hubcaps and trim rings; Weather Control Heater & electric clock. The floor boards, trunk and all the typical rust-prone areas are completely solid and rust-free and the car has had no signs of any accidents - obviously an always garaged and cherished car since new. This particular example still looks extremely impressive in it's 'Maroon' color paint and the all original specification striped weave cord upholstery with 'Dura-Fab' trim interior is quite stunning ! All the chromework and brightwork has obviously been restored and the original spare wheel with it's jack is in the trunk.
This is a rare opportunity to own a great daily driving and never abused example of an obviously always garaged and rust free 1951 Hudson Pacemaker 2 Door Custom Club Coupe recently acquired from a prominent collection and a more loved and cared for and mostly all original and stock car you could not hope to find! One of the great postwar landmarks, this is one very desirable car for any classic American car enthusiast or Hudson collector to add to his collection and a sure-fire investment that's sure to appreciate over the years for any classic American car collector!
