Hudson Flower Car

Sarah Young
Sarah Young Senior Contributor
edited November -1 in HUDSON
I'm also a member of the Professional Car Society. Recently, one of my fellow members made a neat discovery. It looks like this Hudson was one of those that got transformed into a truck, but in the eyes of pro car lovers, it's a great candidate for a flower car. The link to the thread on the pro car site is: ProCarSociety.org.

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Sarah, At one time those were known as 'cut-downs'. Didn't matter what make. When you made a truck out of a car,thats what it was called.
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    Looks like it started life as a '51 Hornet four door or maybe a commodore? It was originally green..
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Didn't we determine in an earlier post that they were all green?

    Does it look like trailer mirrors too? Maybe they pulled the boat to the lake after delivering the flowers.



    Tim
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Sarah-

    Those aren't flowers, darlin', that's sticks and weeds!:D Of course, they kinda match the deliver vehicle as it sits.
  • 37 CTS
    37 CTS Senior Contributor
    Just to go along with this. Last week a lady told me a Hudson story.

    The son of the funeral director in her small town drove a black Hudson pickup to school. His job was to keep it clean and haul items for the funeral home.

    The lady said her father had owned 39 Hudsons , most of them purchased new from dealers in southern michigan.
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    Sarah Young wrote:
    I'm also a member of the Professional Car Society. Recently, one of my fellow members made a neat discovery. It looks like this Hudson was one of those that got transformed into a truck, but in the eyes of pro car lovers, it's a great candidate for a flower car. The link to the thread on the pro car site is: ProCarSociety.org.



    Sarah, Although it's pretty clear that this is a"backyard" cut down or conversion, I like the idea of making it a flower car. I bet it would be the only one at a Hudson Meet and probably any meet world wide! A neat idea to make something other than a plain Jane pickup.

    There was a fairly large group of profesional cars at the Ormond Beach AACA meet. Mostly ambulances and a couple hearses. Several fire trucks were also represented. I don't know if the fire trucks were considered "professional' vehicles, but they did help to fill the show field with something for everyone.

    Keep us posted on the new owners progress.:D
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    I think that in the last few years that I have been on the forum I have read about ten or so of these step-down conversions. A few have claimed to be "the original Hudson Factory prototype car." I poped open the Webster's and got this tidbit: Rare describes what is infrequent or in short supply and implies unusual quality and value enhanced by permanent infrequency. Did not get any numbers or measurement standards so I guess that I have to go with a very loose intrepretation on a word in our hobby that is mearly used to increase the sales price or desireability? However, IMHO I no longer consider these "flower cars" as rare or desireable. I will leave the term rare for cars like the stepdown woody wagon, Durham sedan and the Jet convertible and others such as those?
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    Browniepetersen wrote:
    I think that in the last few years that I have been on the forum I have read about ten or so of these step-down conversions. A few have claimed to be "the original Hudson Factory prototype car." I poped open the Webster's and got this tidbit: Rare describes what is infrequent or in short supply and implies unusual quality and value enhanced by permanent infrequency. Did not get any numbers or measurement standards so I guess that I have to go with a very loose intrepretation on a word in our hobby that is mearly used to increase the sales price or desireability? However, IMHO I no longer consider these "flower cars" as rare or desireable. I will leave the term rare for cars like the stepdown woody wagon, Durham sedan and the Jet convertible and others such as those?



    I have to agree with you about the"labels".. Probably"Unique" might be a better description. The plus side of THIS car is that it just might come back to life!. Most of us would have religated it to the back of the barn and use it for parts. I have junked old Hudsons "back in the day" that I would pay good money to have today. One in particular was a 49 Commodore eight four door. Who wanted four doors back in the early 70"s ? I robbed all the pieces that would fit my 49 Convert and junked an absolutely perfect body and interior..

    My only reservation about this one would be if the new owner made false claims about it's heritage.

    A running and driving Hudson is a GOOD thing, no matter how "mutated"!:eek:
  • MikeWA
    MikeWA Senior Contributor
    RL Chilton wrote:
    Sarah-



    Those aren't flowers, darlin', that's sticks and weeds!:D Of course, they kinda match the deliver vehicle as it sits.



    That looks like Oklahoma. That's what passes for flowers in that country. :D



    Father of a girl in my class in school was a "body and fenderman", as they called them back then. He had built a cut-down out of a '50 Ford, and it looked like it came from the factory. Had chrome trim around the back of the cab and the edge of the bed, and an inlay of that gold cross-hatched stuff that was used as in inset between chrome strips in some cars- '55 Plymouth Fury, for one, and some Hashes as well. Gorgeous thing- wonder if its still around.



    I always liked that girl- asked her to a prom when I was a Junior, didn't have driver's license yet, so my dad was going to take me over to pick her up, and bring us to the dance. When we got to town, he turned down toward the school instead of over to her house (she lived across town- small town of Tenino, Washington, population 900). He said "I'll hang around here, you go get your girl and bring her over, leave keys in the car. I'll go visit a buddy of mine, will have the car back here before the end of the dance. You take her home, then come back and pick me up. I'll be lurking in the shadows."



    Everything worked out fine. Officer Tweed was in his usual and accustomed spot "downtown", which I avoided, of course. We never told Mom what we did. Just another good memory of another time, when life was a lot simpler.



    Oh- and Linda, I hope you've had a good life.:)
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    Chevrolet built these "flower cars" as you folks want to call them and called them "Gentlemen's Pick-ups." I have one in my shop--it's called an ElCamino. This one is unrestored. Back in the day (20's and 30's) they were roadster pick-up's. They are as much fun then as now.....
  • Sarah Young
    Sarah Young Senior Contributor
    Although fire trucks are commonly seen at "professional" car events, they're technically a different group and club: "emergency" vehicles, which police cars, towing trucks, etcetra fall into. As Brownie pointed out, though, sometimes the category of a vehicle depends on the generation of a person or what they're passion is, or in the case of this Hudson, how it's "finished". Once you see it in a procession with flower spreads gracing the rear, what will your first impression be? Hey, look it's an El Camino... or what a respectful way to use a gentleman's pickup... will not be the first things that come to my mind. On the other hand, if I saw a varnished wood bed, I'd think pickup. Or, maybe a toneau cover with custom wheels I'd think El Camino or hot rod. It's all about perspective. That and getting another Hudson on the road. :)
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    Sarah Young wrote:
    Although fire trucks are commonly seen at "professional" car events, they're technically a different group and club: "emergency" vehicles, which police cars, towing trucks, etcetra fall into. As Brownie pointed out, though, sometimes the category of a vehicle depends on the generation of a person or what they're passion is, or in the case of this Hudson, how it's "finished". Once you see it in a procession with flower spreads gracing the rear, what will your first impression be? Hey, look it's an El Camino... or what a respectful way to use a gentleman's pickup... will not be the first things that come to my mind. On the other hand, if I saw a varnished wood bed, I'd think pickup. Or, maybe a toneau cover with custom wheels I'd think El Camino or hot rod. It's all about perspective. That and getting another Hudson on the road. :)



    I agree Sarah. A flower car is NOT a pickup truck. All of the ones I have seen were usually luxury cars converted for the purpose of transporting the flowers from the funeral home or church to the cemetary. They were well built custom vehicles with one purpose in mind.... transporting the flowers from the funeral home/church to the cemetary. Packards, Cadillacs, lincolns and to some degree lower priced Buicks, Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles. Never saw a Hudson done up that way. Maybe we will be in for a treat some day. I certainly hope it doesn't end up being just a P-cup.;)
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