The 1954 Hudson Italia
Hudson Motors’ Stylish Swansong
by Mark L. James
“When considered as a whole, Frank Spring’s design of the Hudson Italia was truly groundbreaking.”
Hudson Motor Car Company was in trouble—financial trouble—due to dwindling sales. In a desperate move to inject some enthusiasm and generate interest, as 1953 began it charged Frank Spring, its capable designer who also was a savvy engineer, to create a special car that would turn heads and attract customers into dealer showrooms. This book tells the story of those Hudson Italia cars.
“Spring’s creation … was a novel combination of American engineering, innovative features, and European flair” with nary a flat surface on its entire body. Well, there is one, but you have to look really hard to find it. It’s the red Hudson emblem tucked down low in the inverted V of the front bumper.
All Italias wore cream exteriors and were all built at the same time.
Spring’s design, constructed on Hudson’s 105-inch wheelbase Jet was custom-bodied in Italy by Carrozzeria Touring at its facility in Milan. All 25 Italias were built at the same time. Despite that, Italia’s one through nine were sold as 1954 models while ten on were designated 1955s.
Consider, then consider again, and don’t ever assume. Get it down in writing for what is overlooked will come back and bite. And so it was for Carrozzeria Touring for it assumed Hudson would ship them assembled rolling chassis on which they would custom-build Italia bodies. It proved to be an unfortunate—and costly—assumption. What it actually received were “giant wooden crates packed with the hundreds of parts and components needed to assemble the cars’ chassis before it could even begin to build the custom coachwork.”
This is Italia #15. The book is landscape format, 11” x 8.75”.
Events were unfolding in the US simultaneously. “Less than 30 days after Hudson signed the contract with Touring” came the announcement that effective May 1, 1954 Hudson Motor Car Company would officially merge with Nash-Kelvinator, creating American Motors Corporation (AMC). Sales of Hudson-badged motorcars would continue through 1957 and then its cars would join the ranks of what today we refer to as orphans. As for those surviving Hudson Italias, today they are sought-after and treasured by those fortunate enough to own one.
Author/publisher Mark James is one of those fortunate ones to find and acquire an Italia (in boxes as it was all apart at the time). As he has done with other cars he has owned/restored, he set out to learn all he could and write and publish what he learned in a book—many of which have been reviewed on this site. For this book, it led him to becoming acquainted with Carrozzeria Touring and learning in detail—which he shares on this book’s pages—the details of its patented Superleggera frame used to create Italias.
All Italias were carpeted in red with red and white leather upholstery. The seats are an unusual, highly functional, design. “Seatbelts were standard, but they are attached to the seats rather than the body and thus of questionable value.”
A decade later another company would attempt a similar tactic in hopes of saving itself. A stunning car resulted but there were production problems with it too. The end result is the Raymond Loewy designed Avanti didn’t save Studebaker but is a prized collectible today.
Throughout the book there are references to and descriptions of various items of factory literature. An interesting photo would have been a layout showing some of these pieces of literature mentioned such as owner’s manual, supplemental sheets, etc.
There are both historic and contemporary images of Italias between this landscape-format book’s hardcovers. But, a word to the wise is appropriate. The author’s publishing company website indicates the book has a limited print run. That’s not a marketing ploy or an exaggeration as author/publisher James confided the actual number of books he had printed. So if you’ve any interest in obtaining a copy for yourself, don’t delay.
Copyright 2022 Helen V Hutchings (speedreaders.info)
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