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.
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.