Hudson Motor Car Co. was one of the predecessors of American Motors. Hudson was in the pickup truck market, but not after 1947. They focused strictly on passenger cars after that, including the Hornet, Wasp, and Jet. Thus, this 1953 Hudson Wasp pickup must be a one-off custom build that looks to have been done well (but for what purpose?). Located in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, this pre-AMC is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $19,995. Thumbs up to JDC for the tip!
The Wasp was in production from 1952 to 1956 and could be thought of as a smaller version of the Hornet (which earned its stripes in early NASCAR racing). Two generations were fielded, 1952 to 1954, and 1955-56. After 1957, AMC abandoned the Hudson and Nash brands. The first generation used a shorter platform than the Hornet. Coupes, sedans, hardtops, and convertibles were offered – but no pickups. The standard engine was a 232 cubic inch inline-6.
Even before the Hudson/Nash merger, sales were declining, and Hudson only built 22,000 automobiles in total in 1953. We assume the seller’s pickup is based on a 4-door sedan because the doors appear to have less width than what would come with a 2-door sedan. There is no mention of this vehicle’s history, so we don’t know how, why, or when it came to be. Since it has a manual transmission, we assume it’s a “3-on-the-tree,” and there’s also no discussion of mileage.
The interior has a lot of custom touches to it, and the seller says there’s a split sunroof, something that Hudson hardly would have optioned back in the day. The overall condition is said to be “good” with no mention of any rust, especially since this pickup lives in a snowy environment. The car has been on the market for six weeks and will likely only appeal to either a Hudson fan or someone who wants something that nobody else has.
What a nice job done this. I like it. From the back it closely resembles a 70’s Dodge pickup
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this transformation looks very professional, I really like it. I honestly can’t tell if the bed is from a mid 40’s Big Boy pickup or not, maybe Garygsr is onto something about a Dodge bed. Love the color combination too. I’d honestly want to own this one. Beautifully done. Great write up Russ, I enjoyed it, thank you.
I thought tailgate and bed looked like Hudson pickup.
There is at least one other one:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EBQ5Afpws/
And I like the tailgate lettering better on this one.
Really nice build-try duplicating it! You can get aluminum cylinder heads for Hudson flatties-google Dan White. GLWA
talk about a low effort ad. It’s nice but the seller doesn’t address the driver’s side damage or anything beyond what it is. A converted Wasp with a flower car rear. I think 19K is a bit of stretch.
“low effort ad”…. unfortunately, it’s common.
Now THIS is how it’s done! A real p/u conversion.
I would even say it is a “Ute”
Lots of rust on the passenger side. Definitely drove her in the winter. Put a keen eye under this Wasp. But it is a killer conversion!
That is rot on the passenger side. Looks pretty serious.
Lot of work to resolve.
Otherwise a nice conversion.
I want it also. Too bad no where to park it out of the sun.
That rust damage spoils it totally. No way at that price. I had hoped it was just a flaw in the picture but apparently not.
I read that Hudson did build a prototype stepdown pickup, but it was a ’48. Being one of the first to offer a new post-war body style, they decided to concentrate on cars instead of their slow selling trucks. This one looks like a really good effort at making what could have been. I can’t see from the pictures what’s going on with the right side. Is that rust or some kind of body damage?
Looks like a combination of both to me, with rust giving the first, and hardest punch.
Please don’t refer to Hudsons as “pre-AMC’s” Hudsons were built by the Hudson Motor Car Company. Period.
What a interesting machine would definitely be fun to cruise around in
sure, looks like it has some nasty rot on the side.
Looks like a custom funeral car designed to carry the flowers.
There’s some possibility that this was originally a flower car for a funeral home. Or not.
Looks very much like part of a cortège of vehicles attendant to funerals. A cemetery scene in Godfather Part II depicts a 1950’s Cadillac hearse accompanied by several Cadillac “pickups’ similar to this Hudson, each loaded with flowers.
Flower cars are set up somewhat different from pickups. They have a false bed about 1 foot deep so the flowers can be seen in the procession, and sometimes a storage area underneath this bed to store items that may be n eeded graveside.
A local construction company owner had a fabulous collection of Hudson’s, along with a world class collection of neon automotive signs. He had commissioned a Hudson pickup similar to this, but extremely well done. He passed away a few years ago and they had a Mecum class auction of his collectables.
Google “Fritz Widmer Hudson pickup”- it’s well worth a few minutes!
I checked the Widmer pickup. Nice. Apparently the 1948 prototype survived. Supposedly Hudson made a couple others during the stepdown days for utility use around the factory. Perhaps this is one? due to the unit construction and the rear wheels actually inboard of the frame rails, they were difficult to convert and not a very good pickup space wise. Heck, Hudson had a pain in the ass building the convertibles.
Almost certainly funerary flower car as suggested. See cemetery scene in Godfather Part II. 1950 Hudson hearse as seen on internet has same side panel.