1954 Hudson Italia

259254roadUnited States

Engine: Twin-carburetor inline-six, paired with three-speed overdrive transmission
Colour: Cream

The Hudson Italia was a limited-production Italian-bodied dream car built on the compact Jet platform, with coachwork by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan and a twin-carbureted inline-six engine. Only 25 examples were made, plus one prototype. This car, chassis IT-10001, is the first production Italia and served as a Hudson show car across North America before entering private hands. It has had just two prior owners and survives in a restored, factory-correct configuration. Its history file includes correspondence with its first owner and internal Hudson development memoranda.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold US$495,000
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1980 →Acquisition unknown
Second owner from new
partial documentation
Acquired the car in autumn 1980 and had it restored to factory-correct specification, including a period-correct Hudson engine and gearbox; deceased prior to consignment.
Date unknownFactory delivery
Hudson Motor Car Company
partial documentation
Used as a promotional show vehicle touring across the US and Canada before retail sale.
Date unknownPrivate sale
Earl Armstrong
partial documentation
Santa Barbara, California resident who modified the car, including swapping the original powertrain for a Buick V-8 and automatic gearbox; correspondence with him is included in the history file.
Date unknownInheritance
Nephew of second owner
partial documentation
Retained the car following the second owner's death and is the current consignor.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

—
Modification
Original Hudson inline-six engine and transmission removed and replaced with a Buick V-8 paired with an automatic gearbox; paint and interior upholstery were also redone during this period.
Work carried out during Earl Armstrong's ownership, details drawn from a 1975 interview.
—
Restoration
Car returned to factory-correct specification following acquisition by the second owner, including installation of a period-correct Hudson engine and matching transmission.
The car retains this lightly aged restoration finish in cream over a red and white interior at the time of cataloguing.

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