Hagerty Drivers Foundation Adds NASCAR’s “Fabulous Hudson Hornet” and Chrysler’s Jetpowered Turbine Car to National Historic Vehicle Register
June 1, 2022Andy Heller0 min
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., June 1, 2022 – The Hagerty Drivers Foundation announced the 31st and 32nd vehicles to be inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register, the only federally recognized program to document the historical and cultural significance of the automobile. In order to preserve America’s automotive heritage for future generations, the Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, manages the National Historic Vehicle Register with the U.S. Dept. of the Interior’s Historic American Engineering Record (HAER). Selected vehicles are permanently enshrined in the Library of Congress.
This year’s inductees are:
1952 Hudson Hornet (7B-185596) “Fabulous Hudson Hornet,” Raced by Herb Thomas. From 1951 to 1955, the Hudson Hornet dominated stock car racing just as the sport began to take off. With early NASCAR legends Marshall Teague, Herb Thomas and Dick Rathmann at the wheel, the small company’s cars bested cars produced by the Big Three automakers. This car, prepared by legendary mechanic Smokey Yunick, was provided to Thomas by Hudson halfway through the 1952 season. Thomas was the most prolific Hudson driver with 78 total podium finishes at the wheel of the Hornets and has the highest win percentage in NASCAR history. This is the only Hudson campaigned in NASCAR known to exist. The “Fabulous Hudson Hornet” is owned by Al Schultz and is on display at the National Hudson Motor Car Company Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car (Serial No. 9912-31) Chrysler built just 55 of these groundbreaking cars as part of the company’s decades long effort to develop a mass-market gas-turbine powered automobile. Featuring turbine jet engines housed within Ghia bodies, the cars were distributed to households across the country in a consumer research project that ran from 1963 to 1966. This is one of just nine cars from that program that remains. The Turbine Car is owned by the Stahls Automotive Collection and is on display at their automotive museum located in Chesterfield, Michigan.
Here’s where you can see these cars up close and personal in 2022:
Greenwich Concours d’Elegance – June 3 – 5, Greenwich, Connecticut. The Greenwich Concours offers attendees the opportunity to see this fabulous stock-car star up close and learn its historical connection to NASCAR, as well as how it influenced the “Doc Hudson” character from the popular mid-2000’s movie “Cars.”
Cars at the Capital – Sept. 2 – 11. The annual “Cars at the Capital” exhibition is the Hagerty Drivers Foundation annual celebration of car culture in the heart of Washington, D.C. Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the 1952 Hudson Hornet will be featured from Sept. 2 - 6; and the Chrysler Turbine will be featured Sept. 7 – 11. More detailed information about weekend activations will be forthcoming.
“Featuring these historically significant vehicles and telling their stories at events throughout 2022 are ways we fulfill our mission to share and educate the general public about the cultural significance of the automobile,” - said Jonathan Klinger, Executive Director of the Hagerty Drivers Foundation.
About Hagerty Drivers Foundation
The Hagerty Drivers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit launched in 2021 by Hagerty. With the purpose of shaping the future of car culture while celebrating our automotive past, the Hagerty Drivers Foundation provides scholarships for students in the automotive field of education, as well as students seeking formal driver education training. In addition, the Foundation continues to build a federally recognized program – the National Historic Vehicle Register – that documents and records the important history of our automotive past. For more information, please visit https://driversfoundation.org/.
Media Contact
Steve Keyes, Centigrade
Mobile: 248-952-7022
Andy Heller, Hagerty
Mobile: 231-632-1583