Hudson Italia

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A serial copy of the Hudson Italia

The Hudson Italia was a design study and a coupe produced in small numbers in the model years 1954 and 1955, which was jointly developed by the Hudson Motor Car Co. in Detroit , Michigan and the Carrozzeria Touring in Italy . The car developed by Frank Spring was based on the Hudson Jet , from which he took the platform and mechanics, but had its own body and interior.

development

During the development of the unfortunate Hudson Jet , the designer hoped Frank Spring, a sleek, sleek car, would add to the Hudson model range. The car initially appeared under the name "Super Jet" and came up with many innovations, such as aluminum body, panoramic windshield , doors that penetrated 36 cm into the roof for easier entry and exit (such as aircraft doors) and bucket seats made of leather and vinyl .

The Jet was styled conservatively, but the Italia was quite the opposite. For one thing, the Italia was 10 cm lower than the Jet. Above the main headlights, the front fenders had V-shaped air inlets that conducted cooling air to the brakes. The front bumper showed a large inverted V in the center that reached into the grille. Air intakes on the rear fenders cooled the rear brakes and the taillights consisted of three chrome-plated tubes on each side that were recessed into the rear fenders.

The high price of the car (4,350 USD) together with the groovy brochures from Hudson and the independent brand (Hudson and Nash merged in May 1954) sealed the end of the Italia after only about 25 copies. A single prototype of a 4-door sedan - designated the X-161 - was also built to study manufacturing capabilities.

The car was powered by Hudson's L-Head six-cylinder engine with 3.3 liters displacement, which developed 114 hp (84 kW), and was equipped with a manual three-speed gearbox with steering wheel shift. It is said that 21 of the original 26 vehicles built have survived to this day.

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