Hagerty Drivers Foundation adds NASCAR’s “Fabulous Hudson Hornet” and Chrysler’s jet-powered Turbine car to National Historic Vehicle Register

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - The Hagerty Drivers Foundation announced the 31st and 32nd vehicles to be included into the National Historic Vehicle Register, the only federal recognized program to document the historical and cultural significance of the automobile.

In order to preserve America’s automobile 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.

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 legend Marshall Teague, Herb Thomas ad Dick Rathmann at the wheel, the small company’s cars bested cars produced by the High 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 wing percentage in NASCAR history. This is the one 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-marketed 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 form 1963 to 1966. This one of just nine cars from the program that remains. The Turbine Car is owned by Stahls Automotive Collection and is on display at their automotive museum located in Chesterfield. Michigan.

Cars at the Capital: September 2-11. The annual “Cars at the Capital” exhibition is the Hagerty Drivers Foundations 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 form September 2-6; and the Chrysler Turbine will be featured September 7-11. More detailed information about the weekend will be forthcoming.

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 driving 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://corporate.hagerty.com/driversfoundation/.

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