The Hudson Jet convertible is the latest Archetypal Prototype story.
Monday-June 21, 2010
I love stories about orphan car prototypes. They’re the rarest of the rare, because they often read like heroic epics.
The prototype was made in the dying days of Belly Up Motors. One courageous Oskar Schindler-type executive whisked it away before it could be crushed or destroyed. It was a daily driver for years until it vanished. Its absence gives storytellers enough time to give birth to a legend. It’s very name could only be uttered in hushed whispers at national meets and parts swaps.
Then one unexpected day, the prototype emerges. Weathered. Rusted. A battered chassis compared to the mythic Chariot of the Gods as immortalized by the epic storytellers (aka marque historians).
One courageous Belly Up fan outbids all others to acquire the prototype and works tirelessly to restore it to Religious Icon status. Against all odds, he triumphs. The prototype once again proudly sits atop the Turntable of Glory inspiring awe, reverence, and envy among the collectors who were outbid when they had their chance at the auction.
The End (until an earthquake/fire/flood damages the facility where the prototype is restored. Then the Belly Up fan has to heroically struggle yet again to restore the car.)
I wrote that little Archetypal Prototype Story after reading Bob Stevens’ article about the only Hudson Jet convertible built. Look for it in the July 2010 issue of Cars & Parts.
Stevens’ excellent story is more than auto history. It’s genre nonfiction. I’ve read this story over and over. Replace Hudson Jet with Nash Metropolitan station wagon or Packard Panther Daytona. Replace Hudson uber-collector Ed Souers with Joe Bortz. I’ve heard this story many times with different details. And every story is entertaining.
I hope Cars & Parts writes more Archetypal Prototype stories. What other types of genre classic car stories do YOU like to read?
The prototype was made in the dying days of Belly Up Motors. One courageous Oskar Schindler-type executive whisked it away before it could be crushed or destroyed. It was a daily driver for years until it vanished. Its absence gives storytellers enough time to give birth to a legend. It’s very name could only be uttered in hushed whispers at national meets and parts swaps.
Then one unexpected day, the prototype emerges. Weathered. Rusted. A battered chassis compared to the mythic Chariot of the Gods as immortalized by the epic storytellers (aka marque historians).
One courageous Belly Up fan outbids all others to acquire the prototype and works tirelessly to restore it to Religious Icon status. Against all odds, he triumphs. The prototype once again proudly sits atop the Turntable of Glory inspiring awe, reverence, and envy among the collectors who were outbid when they had their chance at the auction.
The End (until an earthquake/fire/flood damages the facility where the prototype is restored. Then the Belly Up fan has to heroically struggle yet again to restore the car.)
I wrote that little Archetypal Prototype Story after reading Bob Stevens’ article about the only Hudson Jet convertible built. Look for it in the July 2010 issue of Cars & Parts.
Stevens’ excellent story is more than auto history. It’s genre nonfiction. I’ve read this story over and over. Replace Hudson Jet with Nash Metropolitan station wagon or Packard Panther Daytona. Replace Hudson uber-collector Ed Souers with Joe Bortz. I’ve heard this story many times with different details. And every story is entertaining.
I hope Cars & Parts writes more Archetypal Prototype stories. What other types of genre classic car stories do YOU like to read?