Hudson Invader Special Speedster

Jon B · March 2011

Okay, so have you ever wondered what would happen if you tried to stuff a WWII Hudson Invader PT-boat engine into a car? Well, wonder no more....

Actually, this is supposed to have been on Ebay last year, so possibly someone had already posted it to the Hudson Forum. Anyway, you can read all about it here: http://autocar-victory.blogspot.com/2010/04/1927-hudson-invader-special-speedster.html

Marconi · March 2011

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

barrysweet52 · March 2011

Im disappointed. I went to the site and couldnt enlarge the photos.I wonder how many others tried as well. Barry

[Deleted User] · March 2011

Yea another one of Gary Wales classics. He was the guy with the better than original, one and only, Grapes of Wrath Hudson.

Browniepetersen · March 2011

Where is Jay Leno when you need him....?

Aaron D. IL · March 2011

That looks like a Super 6 Speedster racecar put under an enlargement ray gun. Reminds me of that car they wedged a RR Merlin airplane engine into. I'd actually like to see someone restore a WW2 Navy Invader landing craft though. I don't think any survivied.

Geoff · March 2011

On a completely different tack, I wonder what the average life of a Hudson Invader engine was? I mean, did they retrieve the landing craft after they had bee used, or were they just left for scrap?

Walt-LA · March 2011

There were a couple for sale on ebay a while back.. Walt-LA

[Deleted User] · March 2011

I think at one time Dave Keister in Washington state had a complete landing craft. dont know if he still has it or not. Also if anyone is interested in a complete INVADER engine, "in the crate", I might have an extra one I could be talked out of very reasonable.... Geoff asked about the "life" of the Invader engine, I know a farmer in Hartly Texas that ran one on an irrigation well for 17 years with no problems..RD

lsfirth · March 2011

cargray wrote:

I think at one time Dave Keister in Washington state had a complete landing craft. dont know if he still has it or not. Also if anyone is interested in a complete INVADER engine, "in the crate", I might have an extra one I could be talked out of very reasonable.... Geoff asked about the "life" of the Invader engine, I know a farmer in Hartly Texas that ran one on an irrigation well for 17 years with no problems..RD

WOW....that irrigation thing is cool....that would be a really cool write-up in itself!! No wonder the Rio Grand is dry :-)

Geoff · March 2011

I was wondering about how long they actually lived for after being fitted to the landing craft. Purely academic. I don't imagine many of them would have been salvaged or re-used, but who knows.

hudsontech · March 2011

I think it was Dave Keister who had a running Invader engine at the first Wichita National meet in 1990.

Anyway, check out this URL to Dave's web site - http://members.tripod.com/daves_hudsons/Invader.htm - at the time he posted this site he had six Invader engines.

I do question if any were actually used in PT boats - I've never heard of them being used. PT boats had 3 Packard 3A-2500 V-12's and were capable of around 40 knots (fast enough to get a ticket if they were on land!!)

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

TwinH · March 2011

My neighbor has a monster engine collection,but sadly no Hudsons...
I did get a ride behind one of these though.

[Deleted User] · March 2011

Are those Allisons or the Packard Merlin engines, and is that a Curtis P-40 Warhawk?Either way it must have been an AWESOME experience to have a ride in it. I have always wanted to take a ride in a P-51 Mustang but due to my heart disease it Ain't gonna happen. Anyways the pics are great.
Bob Hickson

RL Chilton · March 2011

Let's see, gas is going up to $4.00/gal. this summer (or before) and this car would get about . . . 1mpg. Great. Should sell real quick.

[Deleted User] · March 2011

I didnt mean the farmer ran the Invader constantly for 17 years. just in seasons. Alex , I thought that was Dale Matlock with the Invader at the Kansas national. Pretty neat to see it run..I sold him a complete overhaul gasket set for an Invader, still have several sets if anyone needs one. The copper headgaskets in the set is awsome, about six feet long and humongus cyl. holes. The pics of the Allisons are great, remember when Art Arfons ran them on the drag strip? The Green Monster, he called it. Cadillac made lots of parts in the Allison engines.

hudsontech · March 2011

RL Chilton wrote:

Let's see, gas is going up to $4.00/gal. this summer (or before) and this car would get about . . . 1mpg. Great. Should sell real quick.

Yeah, Russell - but think of it this way: It'll pass everything on the highway EXCEPT a gas station!!! :woohoo: And outrun any cop car on the interstate.

So lets see - 475 miles Memphis to OKC (that's 475 gallons) x 2 (for round trip) = around $3800 for gas. Sure make the gas companies happy.

But Jay Leno would love it!!!

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

TwinH · March 2011

BJ__TN wrote:

Are those Allisons or the Packard Merlin engines, and is that a Curtis P-40 Warhawk?Either way it must have been an AWESOME experience to have a ride in it. I have always wanted to take a ride in a P-51 Mustang but due to my heart disease it Ain't gonna happen. Anyways the pics are great.
Bob Hickson

Well Bob,your ticker may not be what it once was but your eyes are sharp as ever.
The wall of Allisons are just some of his "new it their 1940's crates" stash.
Your ID on the P-40 is spot on,and yes it was most definitely the ride of a
lifetime.(In the same seat that Tex Hill flew before his passing a few years back)

Cadillac may well have supplied parts for the Allisons, There are Maytag parts
on this twin Allison: