43rd Hudson Car Show

43rd Hudson Car Show

Scheduled for Front Royal

Vintage Hudson, Essex and Iferraplane automobiles will be displayed on the grounds of the Skyline Caverns in Front Royal, Virginia on Sunday, May 14. The show is part of the 43nd annual “Doc’s Apple Blossom Meet”, hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club. The three-day event traditionally draws 300 Hudson enthusiasts and 50-70 antique cars from as far away as Texas and Canada, and takes place this year from May 12 through 14. The weekend will begin with Friday’s pot luck supper at the Front Royal Fire Hall. Then rax Saturday dozens of “Hudsonites” will drive their cars to the Apple Blossom AACA antique car show in Winchester. Later the group will assemble again at the Fire Hall for an evening banquet. The festivities will culminate with Sunday’s all-Hudson car show and flea market at the Caverns, which runs from 8 a.m. to noon and is open to the public at no charge. (In case of rain on Sunday, Hudson owners will gather at the Front Royal Fire Hall.)

Doc’s Meet began in 1964 when Front Royal resident D.C. ‘Doc” Daugherty invited several fellow Hudson enthusiasts to join him for a get-together at his sign shop. It has grown in size over the years and is now one of the H-E-T Club’s largest annual gatherings. More information is available on the Internet at www.hudsonclub.oig/docs.htm. For additional information by e-mail contact Lewis Mendenhall at DocsMeet@hudsonclub.oig, or, by phone, Jon Battle at (703) 392-6870.

The Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan began business in 1909 and for the next 45 years built such varied vehicles as the Hudson Super Six, the Essex, the Terraplane, the compact Jet, and a line of light pickup trucks. From 1951 to 1954 Hudson’s “Hornet” dominated stock car racing. In 1954 Hudson merged with Nash to form American Motors, which continued to build Hudsons in Kenosha, Wisconsin through the 1957 model year. AMC was purchased by Chrysler in the 1980’s.