1927 Hudson Super Six Supercharged Sports Tourer

Five-liter inline six-cylinder Hudson engine with supercharger, three-speed manual gearbox, Perrot-type Bendix hydraulic brakes, modified Hudson steel section chassis with mahogany body frame clothed in aluminum panels in the style of Vanden Plas. The magnificent Hudson Super Six Sports Tourer offered here was built in Australia by builder and master craftsman Wolfgang Rebien. Constructed in the early 1990s, every aspect of this car is inspired by the factory racing Hudsons of its day and the finest coachbuilding traditions of the 1930s. The chassis is a restored and modified 1927 Hudson unit with a number of beautifully cast aluminum brackets to support the firewall, dash, windscreen and steering column and to provide a location for the foot board and front door pillars. The design of the brackets is based on those of a Vauxhall 14/40 that Rebien was restoring at the time. The engine was moved back ten inches in the chassis to allow for better weight distribution as well as a preferred aesthetic balance, since the radiator could thereby be mounted behind the front axle. The hydraulic braking system is of the Perrot-type by Bendix, similar to those used on period Packards and Lincolns. As for the wire wheels, they are 21-inch Buffalos, with peg-drive and center lock nuts. A Vanden Plas-style Tourer body, reminiscent of sporting Bentleys and the LeMans Stutz cars, was constructed with aluminum panels. The traditional body framework was built to ‘cabinet maker’ standards in Brazilian mahogany. In fact, the cost was thirty percent greater than white ash but is considerably lighter and has therefore been the preferred choice in performance motor cars. The actual bodywork was entrusted to master aluminum craftsman Rob Tingay who also fabricated the louvers and other details in addition to conducting the paintwork, polishing and detailing. Special windscreen brackets for the narrow body were cast in aluminum, as was the driver’s floor foot well. Clever details are visible throughout, including two stainless steel under-floor compartments with drain-cocks for carrying on-board refreshments. The dashboard is engine-turned aluminum with mahogany trim, the same wood also employed for the handmade steering steel. American cherry, which can be steam-bent, was used for the convertible top-bows with both top and tonneau made of the best quality fabrics. The entire interior is trimmed in genuine saddle-colored Connolly hides. The installation of the blower was quite the mechanical accomplishment since a modified GM 471 unit was adapted and fed by two original bronze-bodied Hudson carburetors. The blower manifolding alloy casting is an absolute work of art that must be seen to be fully appreciated. The Hudson three-speed gearbox was rebuilt with new gears to alter the ratios, although gear changing is not often required due to the immense torque of the blown engine! Should the time and expert craftsmanship be available to duplicate this amazing motor car, it is estimated that the fabrication costs would be in the range of $300,000 to $400,000. A superbly attractive sports tourer from any angle, this supercharged Hudson is unlike any other and would certainly be an ideal candidate for any number of vintage tours, both at home and abroad.