Foothills Sentry March 2022

Page 9 Foothills Sentry March 2022 WE HAVE ORDERS. WE NEED INVESTORS. Real Estate is hot right now! Call Kevin Groot: (657) 505 - 8265 Kevin Groot Investments • Personal Financial Adviser Business Consultant Amelia Earhart’s Terraplane to be displayed in Orange By Douglas Westfall, National Historian The 26th Annual Orange Plaza Car Show, back from a pandemic- related hiatus last year, will fea- ture a one-of-a-kind automobile this year, Amelia Earhart’s Ter- raplane. The 1932 Hudson Terraplane was the first of its kind and be - came the best-selling car in America prior to WWII. This one was first owned by Earhart her - self. By 1932, Amelia Earhart was an American heroine, the darling of aviation and a celebrity world- wide. Over the previous decade, she had attained eight aviation records and had just received the National Geographic’s Special Gold Medal, the French Cross Legion of Honor and the coveted Harmon Aeronautical Trophy — all for being the first woman to pilot an airplane solo across the Atlantic ocean — some 2,000 miles. The Hudson Motor Car Com- pany was started in 1909 by eight Detroit business investors. Joseph L. Hudson put in the most money. In response to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great De- pression, Hudson President Roy D. Chapin acted quickly and or- dered a new automobile design under the Essex brand. The Hudson Terraplane of 1932 was a totally enclosed, mass pro- duced, low price, five-passenger automobile. With a six-cylinder engine for added power, it was the fastest car on the road. All that, for the low price of $500. To launch it, Chapin built 2,000 new cars to put on display and cre- ated the Auto Prosperity Drive to premier them in July of that year. He invited prominent politicians and special celebrities, includ- ing Orville Wright. What better celebrity, Chaplin determined, than the first woman who flew an aeroplane across the Atlantic and could now have her own Terra- plane —Amelia Earhart. The theme would be: Amelia flies an Aeroplane — and you can drive a Terraplane. So she was in- vited to host the Auto Prosperity Drive. On July 21, 1932 — just three days before her 35th birth- day, she flew in to the event in her bright red Lockheed Vega — the same aircraft in which she had just flown the Atlantic. Chapin introduced Earhart. The large crowd cheered and the new car was unveiled -- Amelia Ear- hart's Terraplane. She came onto the stage, was given roses and handed a champagne bottle with which to christen the Terraplane. As she approached the car, she said: “I christen thee Essex Terraplane,” and then broke the left wing off the hood’s ornamental bird. The weld spot can still be seen on the wing. The Terraplane is owned by Jim Sommers of Sommers Racing Engines -- and has found a home in Orange for the past 40 years. Sommers retired last year so he and the Terraplane now live in Arizona. This may be your last chance to see Amelia's first car -- unless you plan to travel to Atchison, Kansas (her home town) this July, where the Terraplane will be on display at the annual Amelia Earhart Festival. Amelia Earhart's Hudson will be the 'belle of the ball' at the Orange Plaza Car Show this year. It takes place Sunday, April 10, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the center of Old Towne. Entry is free to spectators. For more of this story, see Doug- las Westfall's book, Amelia Ear- hart’s Terraplane. It can be found at www.SpecialBooks.com . Amelia Earhart christens the Hudson Terraplane. The vintage automobile, now owned by Jim Sommers, was stored in a City of Orange garage for years. Earhart addresses the crowd at the Auto Prosperity Drive held to in- troduce the Terraplane. Amelia Earhart with her 1932 Hudson Terraplane.