This Gorgeous, 1-of-26, Piece of American Automotive History Can be Yours on BaT

A time of innovation…

The 1950s were a hotbed for independent automotive innovation. It was a time when lax rules and regulations meant that automakers and regular Joes could create what they thought was the next best American automobile. Although already an established name by that time, Hudson was not averse to embarking on new projects. One of those new projects gave birth to what I strongly believe to be one of the most unique cars to have ever seen the blacktop, and one of them is now for sale on Bring a Trailer.

…and a tremendous example of that innovation

The Hudson Italia was created when Hudson’s chief designer, Frank Spring, saw the publicity Chrysler had created with their Ghia-bodied creations. The Italia was bodied by the Italian Touring Supperleggera coachbuilding company, with some unique touches that truly gave it a jet-era look that would fit right at home in the Jetsons. The bodywork featured an inverted “V” centered in the front bumper, V-shaped brake-cooling scoops above the headlights, a wraparound windshield, brake-cooling scoops, upper door edges contouring into the roofline, and triple chrome tubes recessed into the rear fenders for the rear lights.

A prototype was shown at various Hudson dealers around the country, with just 25 other examples produced between 1954 and 1955 before Hudson merged with the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors Corporation. This particular 1954 example, chassis 10007, was reportedly displayed at the 1954 Paris Motor Show before moving to Sweden in July 1955 with its first owner. It saw several more owners throughout the 1970s before another Swedish owner kept it for 22 years. It was later purchased by its current owner and imported to the US in 1999. Its 202ci Twin-H L-head inline-six was overhauled in 2011, and replacement twin Carter carburetors were installed.

The bodywork was left unpainted and shows numerous patina scars, including dents, patches, primer, and a damaged windshield. It is also unfortunately missing its bumpers, which adds a tremendous amount of style to the car. The car retains its column-shifted three-speed manual transmission, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, independent front suspension, as well as its red and black leather upholstery that was reportedly re-dyed. Matching red carpeting was seemingly installed, but the dashboard and terrific-looking, wrapped two-spoke steering wheel remain intact. It sits on factory 15” Borrani wire wheels with wide whitewall tires that will absolutely need replacing. The odometer currently shows around 61,000 miles.

Final thoughts

Space-age, jet-era, regardless of what you want to call it, the time period of the Hudson Italia gave birth to some truly stunning moving art. As much as seeing this car in a shiny, period-correct paint job would be stunning, preserving it in its current worn state entices me more. Cars are only original once, and erasing the dents and scratches that help tell this piece of history’s story is almost a tragedy to me. Regardless, the Bring a Trailer auction ends in 5 days with a current bid of a mere $10,000. The seller claims that many spare parts come with the car and that they have even 3D-scanned a fully restored Italia that the future owner of this one can use to make parts. It is definitely a daunting project, but how often do you get such a chance?