Actor and cool-guy archetype Steve McQueen is inextricably associated with the Bullitt ’68 Ford Mustang Fastback and Porsches from Le Mans. But when he was running errands, driving to church, or just going to the airport, he often drove this 1952 Hudson Wasp. The car has lived at the Petersen Museum in LA since 2006, and is now headed to an RM Sotheby’s auction. Celebrity connection aside, it’s an incredibly cool car with many neat design details captured in the auction house’s deep photo gallery.
The car’s full name is 1952 Hudson Wasp Twin H-Power Two-Door Brougham. It’s going to be sold at Sotheby’s Hershey auction in Hershey, Pennsylvania (yes, where the chocolate comes from) on October 9, but you can also bid on it online or over the phone. It’s Lot 246 if you’re interested; the estimated sale price is between $40,000 and $60,000. Hudson Wasps in good shape seem to be selling in the $20,000 to $40,000 neighborhood, but obviously, this would be an exceptionally special one to collect.
I have to admit I haven’t thought about Hudson cars since the last time I watched Cars 1, which was a few years ago, over some stranger’s shoulder on a seatback screen on a flight. Of course, “Doc Hudson” from the movie was a Hudson Hornet, which was slightly longer, but the basic design is extremely similar to the Wasp. And that design is really quite cool. It’s a great example of the classic ’50s diner streamliner aesthetic, heavily accentuated by the novel covered back wheels. Meanwhile, huge bumpers give it an almost utilitarian look that grounds the design and makes it feel downright practical. The cockpit is pure class—again, big time diner vibes, and the couch for a bench seat looks like a great place to lounge.
Under the hood is an inline six with a Power Dome cylinder head and Twin-H Power carburetor setup. It has a Hydra-Matic Drive transmission with a column shifter.
As you’ll notice as you scroll through the images, the car is clean but far from mint. It’s got 63,537 miles on it (pretty high for a car from the ’50s!) and there are plenty of dings and rust bubbles. The paint on the roof is toast. Take a swipe through the slideshow here:
I would leave it exactly as-is; it looks lived-in, which, to me, is perfect. Can’t say I’m a McQueen superfan, but I would definitely get a kick out of driving around in his old “Sunday-go-to-church-car.”
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Automotive journalist since 2013, Andrew primarily coordinates features, sponsored content, and multi-departmental initiatives at The Drive.
