UK first for unique Hoffman X-8 at Concours of Elegance

| 23 May 2023
Classic & Sports Car – Unique Hoffman X-8 to make UK debut at Concours of Elegance

A one-off 1935 Hoffman X-8 will make its UK debut at this year’s Concours of Elegance on 1-3 September.

The unique concept was created as part of an unsuccessful bid to take over the Hudson Motor Company in the 1930s. 

The X-8, which has been shown at concours events in North America, will join a display of around 70 cars, including a Frua-bodied Maserati also making its British debut at Hampton Court Palace.

Classic & Sports Car – Unique Hoffman X-8 to make UK debut at Concours of Elegance

The Hoffman X-8 is finished to an impressive standard for a one-off © Bary Seldon

Many details of the Hoffman X-8 have only surfaced recently, as the current owner tries to discover more about the car’s interesting history. 

The X-8 was commissioned by a group of American siblings, the Fishers, to prove that they were up to the job of taking over Hudson.

The brothers hired Roscoe C ‘Rod’ Hoffman – who also worked on a front-wheel-drive Packard – to build a striking concept to help their bid. 

The deal never materialised, but the steel-bodied Hoffman X-8 survived.

Classic & Sports Car – Unique Hoffman X-8 to make UK debut at Concours of Elegance

The engine was positioned between the rear seats and the rear axle © Bary Seldon

Hoffman was told to keep the project secret and as a result little is known about the X-8, although it’s believed he created the sweeping bodywork and water-cooled engine himself.

He kept the car until the 1960s, at which point he gifted it to another designer who looked after it until the current owner bought it in the early 2010s.

Since then, it’s been shown at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the Concours d’Elegance of America.

Classic & Sports Car – Unique Hoffman X-8 to make UK debut at Concours of Elegance

Concours of Elegance 2023 will be the first time the Hoffman X-8 has been exhibited in Britain

“We are honoured to be welcoming the one-of-a-kind Hoffman to the Concours of Elegance in 2023 for its European debut,” said James Brooks-Ward, Concours of Elegance CEO.

In total, almost 1000 vehicles will be on show across the weekend, as the event returns to Hampton Court Palace, including a selection of Le Mans winners in the endurance race’s centenary year.

Concours of Elegance takes place from 1-3 September 2023 at Hampton Court Palace and as a Classic & Sports Car reader, you can enjoy our exclusive 2-for-1 ticket offer – and you can join our tour to the event, too.

Images: Concours of Elegance/Bary Seldon


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