11 minute read
1946 Hudson pick-up
1946 Hudson ¾-ton pick-up
After Michael Monti-Colombi lost track of the Hudson pick-up he used to own in the Eighties, he never thought he’d own another. Good fortune, good friends and plenty of patience changed that, and now he’s on the road with one of the best looking but most underrated classic commercials.
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Words: Zack Stiling Photography: James Mann
Ask anyone about American pick-ups and they’ll probably picture a rugged, upright job sitting well off the ground, possibly with a few cosmetic knocks acquired through the rough-and-tumble of working life. If they’re switched on, they may remember the sleek Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino which appeared in the late 1950s in an effort to market a prettier pick-up to higher-class businesses. We expect very few would remember that the idea of a stylish coupe utility was actually put into practice much earlier by Hudson.
Hudson only produced 30,000 commercial vehicles between 1937 and 1947, which was the equivalent of about one month’s production for Chevrolet in the 1940s, although pick-ups had already been marketed by Hudson’s lower-priced sister marques Essex and Terraplane. The Essex name got the chop in 1934 and Terraplane followed it in 1938, so it was decided to release a range of Hudson commercials in 1937.
The plethora of styles included some very strange choices, including the Utility Coupe (with retractable pick-up box extending from the trunk) and the Utility Coach (a two-door sedan with removable seating and window blinds), in addition to the ½-ton and ¾-ton Big Boy pick-ups. It has been suggested that this was a somewhat left-field attempt at generating sales in the loss-making climate of the Depression-stricken Thirties, and even more odd variations were offered by 1939.
War commissions generated profits, though, and when civilian production resumed in 1945, all were dropped apart from the ¾-ton pick-up (no longer called the Big Boy). Sharp-eyed observers may notice that while it sported new front-end sheet metal (in line with the passenger cars), the bodies were unchanged from 1941, with the running boards on full display. From 1942, passenger car bodies flared outwards. The ¾-ton was not long for this world, though. The semi-unitary construction of the ‘step-down’ Hudsons for 1948 made them completely unsuited to pick-up adaptations, and Hudson trucks simply became a footnote in American automotive history. Michael Monti-Colombi is very well acquainted with this unorthodox take on commercial vehicles. He’s the owner of the handsome 1946 pick-up gracing these pages and, rare though it is, it’s not even his first. “I had one in the 1980s,” he recalls, “but I sold it and regretted it and wanted to buy another one. One of my friends in America found it in North Carolina in 2011. He arranged everything for me and bought the truck, but it was a bit of a wreck at the time. It didn’t run; it had been a farm vehicle and it was a bit smashed up.” When Michael owned his first one, he was running a business called Luxury & Power in Ladywell, south London. It operated from 1985 to 1992, buying, importing and selling American cars; giving Dream Cars in Battersea a bit of friendly competition.
“We had a 2000 square-foot showroom,” says Michael. “It was a great business until the recession.” Since closing it down, he has moved into buying and selling vintage American clothing, furniture and Airstreams, so he’s never been away from the scene.
He remembers clearly his first encounter with the Hudson in Norfolk, Virginia. Out there for work, he recalls: “Every now and then this guy would turn up with this truck painted cherry red. It had been in his family from new and he was never going to sell it, then one day it was for sale. Tragically, he had a terminal illness and was raising money for his children. I’d always liked it so I bought it, brought it over and now it’s disappeared. I think it’s gone abroad.”
Michael Monti-Colombi and partner Fiona love the rarity of this Hudson truck.
Eight-foot bed is very practical and the truck gets used regularly.
Appropriately enough, this second truck came from Tim Hudson of Hudson Car Sales, who’d had it in his barn for a few years when Michael’s friend saw the advertisement in a local newspaper. Since he was unlikely to find another any time soon, Michael pounced on it even though it needed restoration. Fortunately, he has several good friends out in the States who generously restored it before he imported it into Britain. Says Michael: “The good ol’ boys of West Virginia spent six years bringing it back to life.”
It was May 2011 when he purchased the Hudson and November 2018 when it landed on British soil. Michael’s intention had been to keep it as a ratty patina truck upgraded with a V8 (like he’d had in his first Hudson), power steering and better brakes, but some miscommunication between him and his friends meant it ended up painted. We can hardly resent that, though, when it looks as good as it does now in its attractive two-tone green; a nicely understated scheme appropriate for the early post-war years before tastes turned towards bolder and brighter combinations in the 1950s.
Thanks to his Americana business, Michael could check on the Hudson’s progress when visiting the States and steer it in the direction he wanted. Hence it has a Chevy 350 motor, 700R4 transmission, power steering and power brakes; 1940s elegance on top and modern practicality underneath. The paint is Pistachio, a Kaiser-Darrin pastel colour which would look right at home on the boulevards of mid-century Palm Springs.
With the major mechanical parts substantially upgraded, Michael confirms that the Hudson is a delight in all traffic conditions. “It’s almost like a modern vehicle. Because it’s got power steering and brakes, it’s a lot sharper. Around corners the suspension technology isn’t there, but it’s great to cruise around in. Originally it would have come with a three- or fourspeed manual transmission, so it would have been more like a tractor back then, which I didn’t really want.
“The look of the truck is basically all stock, so when I’m going down my (private) test track at 90mph, I look like I shouldn’t be going that fast. The 700R4 transmission is really good. As soon as it goes into overdrive at 60mph, it wants to fly. The revs just drop right off. I wouldn’t say it’s the fastest off the line, but it’s got a good top end on it.
“At the moment, I’ve got problems with the tyres – they’re the new cross ply-look radials. When it gets to 40/50mph it starts to waver. I’m going to get another pair of radials to stick on the front and see if that cures it. When I originally got the truck back, it wasn’t built for power steering and the camber wasn’t set up correctly, so it would oversteer. I got a guy here in Cheltenham, Martin at JWR Services, to get it to steer better so it’s just the tyres now.”
Minor troubles really don’t stop the Hudson from being driven. I’d long assumed it was based in the South East, having seen it at the Chelsea and Redhill Cruises. Little did I realise that Michael was only stretching the Hudson’s legs on a jaunt out from Cheltenham. Visiting the Rally of the Giants last year, his restoration efforts were rewarded when judges named it the Best Commercial.
Hood opens from the front.
Despite petrol prices, the truck will be used in the summer. Two-tone green paint is subtle and period appropriate.
Powertrain is a Chevy 350 motor with a 700R4 transmission. Other upgrades include power steering and power brakes. So not only does this truck have that Forties glamour and style, but also modern driving manners and performance: so it’s practical and a classic. The best of both worlds!
Being a commercial vehicle, it has occurred to Michael that the Hudson should work for a living. “I live about 10 miles from my workshop so I drive there and back and use it whenever I can. It’s a practical daily driver in the summer, but I swap between it and my ’48 Oldsmobile. It’s better than driving something new.” As he visits events with his businesses Timebomb Vintage (clothing, furniture and homeware) and Timebomb Trailers (mid-century caravans), Michael also plans to use the Hudson for pulling one of his Airstreams along and drawing punters towards his stall.
As long as it remains reliable and reasonably economical, Michael’s summers will probably revolve around using the Hudson as much as possible for the foreseeable future. “With the price of petrol as it is,” he comments, “it does make me think twice about long distances, but I am going to go to the Rally of the Giants and the Hot Rod Hayride this year.
“I really enjoy driving it, it’s a great truck. I like the design of it, the big long bonnet and the 8ft bed. It’s really long, but it’s got a surprisingly small cab space inside. It’s more about design than practicality, but if you’re going to put a load of hay in the back, you do need a big bed. I just like the romance of it and try to use it as much as I can.”
All things considered, it’s a very happy fate for a 76-year-old truck of which only a few thousand were built, and which had been beaten up around a farm, to end up fully restored with a few hidden upgrades and be both an award-winner and occasional daily driver. Michael’s pretty happy with it, too, and so he should be; with such a rare, capable and well-rounded classic, he seems to have hit the jackpot.
Michael has moved from the world of classic American car sales to classic American trailers and Airstreams, as well as vintage clothing.
Thanks to:
“The guy who found it and sprayed it was Dave Mega. Jason Hamilton took the car in, dismantled it and started work on the chassis. George Jones built the engine. Jerry Ritter finished off the chassis work and put the engine in. The late Roger Evans was the electrician; this was the last car he worked on. Leverna Streight did the interior. Paul Boniey put it all together at the end and got it on the road. I just picked it up and drove it back.”
