Vehicle Description
For Hudson Motor Company to survive against the Big Three in the
early 1950s, they needed both new models and major revisions to
their existing product line. But limited resources meant Hudson
management chose only to develop a new small car to compete with
the likes of Nash's new Rambler. The new compact Hudson Jet first
appeared in 1953. This small four-door sedan had tremendous promise
thanks to its unibody construction and a torquey 202 cubic-inch
inline-six. In reality, it was a major disappointment as the design
was hampered by excessive meddling from upper management. Hudson's
President, A.E. Barit insisted on changes that turned what could
have been an innovative small car into a conservative, somewhat
dowdy facsimile of a 1952 Ford. Nearly all of Hudson's available
resources went toward the project, ultimately causing their
undoing. By 1954, Hudson had merged with Nash in order to salvage
what they could for investors. However, the story of the Jet was
not utterly dire. Hudson's design director, Frank Spring, somehow
managed to convince the board that a sporty version of the Jet
would be a hit for America's young, sports car hungry buyers.
Spring was best known for the famous "Step Down" Hudson designs of
the 1940s, and his career stretched back to the 1920s when he
served as general manager of Murphy Coachbuilders. In 1953, Frank
Spring traveled to Brussels, Belgium where he met with Carlo Felice
Anderloni of Carrozzeria Touring, Milan. Over dinner, they
discussed building a sports car utilizing Hudson underpinnings,
with lightweight Italian coachwork. They even sketched the concept
on a dinner napkin which, incidentally, still exists in Touring's
archives! Agreements were made, and soon, the Hudson Italia project
was underway. It is with great pleasure that we offer this, the
very first Hudson Italia prototype. The fascinating story of this
automobile began when Frank Spring arranged for the shipment of a
complete Hudson Jet to Touring's workshop in Milan. After the
Italians tested the standard car, they commenced to transforming it
into this dramatic two-door coupe with scoops, vents, jet-age faux
exhausts, and sparkling Borrani wire wheels. Built in the
Superleggera style, the car utilizes a steel wire skeleton skinned
in hand-formed aluminum, then finished in a lovely shade of crema
lacquer with bold chrome accents. The drama didn't stop inside,
either. Unique form-fitting seats trimmed in two-tone red and white
leather faced a red wrinkle-finish dash and, on this prototype
only, a wood-rimmed steering wheel from an Alfa Romeo 6C Ville
d'Este; grabbed off the shelf for testing purposes and never
replaced. The engine is suitably updated for sports car duty with
Hudson's Twin-H Power carbs, boosting output to 115 horsepower with
a generous wave of torque. Frank Spring tested this very prototype
in Italy before returning it to the 'States. He personally
demonstrated the car to dealers and distributors to drum up sales.
It was used in promotional material, and it traveled the show
circuit as a highlight of the Hudson stand. While the initial plan
was to build 100 cars at the cost of $2,000 each, a
miscommunication meant that Hudson, instead of shipping running
chassis to Italy, sent only the parts to build a complete car,
forcing Touring to scramble to assemble them. With that, the price
spiked to $4,800 and dealers balked. Back in Detroit, the new
bosses at Nash wanted nothing to do with sports cars, and
ultimately just 25 production Italias would follow this single
prototype. Today, the Hudson Italia remains one of the most
sought-after products of this brief, yet brilliant period of
Italian-American design cooperation. It is to date, the only
American production car bodied by the great Carrozzeria Touring.
Following Hudson's merger with Nash, Frank Spring became concerned
his beloved prototype would be destroyed per Nash's policy with
show cars. He was able to rescue the car from Hudson's design
department (one story suggests it was under cover of darkness) and
he hid the car away, eventually selling it to his close friend
Victor Racz, the car's first official owner. The Hudson stayed with
Racz until his passing in 1976. That's when avid Hudson enthusiast
Ray Pshirer saw Mr. Racz's obituary in the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane
newsletter, and he wrote to Racz's widow about the Italia, sharing
his desire to continue the preservation and care of this
historically significant vehicle. She appreciated this recognition
of the car's significance and agreed to sell it in 1977. For the
next 36 years, Ray and his family cared for the Hudson in its
unrestored state. The car's current keeper acquired it from the
Pshirer family in 2013 to become only the third official owner.
Without a doubt, this is the singular most important of all 26
Hudson Italias constructed. Several distinguishing features set
this car apart standard production versions. From the front, the
square mesh grille is a single cast piece instead of a multi-piece
egg crate style. The Hudson letters on the nose are spaced more
closely than production models, and the cowl scoop is much narrower
(widened after the third production car). Windscreen trim is of
chromed brass instead of polished stainless, the chrome front wheel
well inserts of the production cars are noticeably absent, and the
front wheels are slightly smaller due to clearance issues. At the
rear, the taillight "exhausts" are staggered instead of in-line.
The cockpit also has several differences, with the ignition switch
behind the wheel, a trunk release behind the driver's seat, and of
course the Alfa Romeo 6C steering wheel, complete with the original
horn button! Mechanically, it is the only Italia with overdrive
fitted to the 3-speed manual gearbox. Thanks to the efforts of
three passionate owners, this highly significant Hudson remains in
remarkably well-preserved condition. The paintwork is faded yet
sound, the chrome is attractive and straight, and the leather
remains supple even after 66 years and 30,000 miles of careful use.
It rides on the original, special-built Borrani wire wheels, and
the engine bay remains tidy and exceptionally correct, down to the
Twin-H power intake and original oil filter housing. A grille badge
officially recognizes this as Italia #00001 by the Registro
Internazionale Touring Superleggera. A recent mechanical
refurbishment ensures the car is ready to drive and enjoy. It runs,
drives and stops beautifully and it was meticulously prepared for
the 70 mile Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance. Previous owners have
shown this car at several of the world's most prestigious concours,
including the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, the 2014
Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este where it was awarded the Best
Preserved Car, and in the preservation class of 2018 Pebble Beach
Concours d'Elegance. The exhaustive history file includes several
magazine articles featuring this car, copies of ownership history,
a copy of the original dinner napkin sketch (provided by Touring),
numerous period promotional images of this car, FIVA Registration,
ultra-rare original keychains, and many other Italia-related photos
and information. This is a one-off opportunity to acquire the very
first example of the Hudson Italia; spectacularly preserved in
original condition. It is a must-have for serious collectors of
post-war Italian coachwork, and it is ready to take
preservation-class honors in virtually any prestigious concours.