American car culture destroyed: The Grapes of Wrath Hudson

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Did you know there was a 1926 car that made it into one of the greatest movies ever made, and no longer exists in that form? 
We’re quite sure you know the all-American movie heroes: the Challenger from Vanishing Point, the Mustang from Bullitt, Greased Lightning, The Bluesmobile. Loud, fast, unforgettable.
But the car we are talking about was different.

It played a key role in a movie, alongside the great Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell, who won an Oscar for her performance. Director John Ford won one too. The film was based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by John Steinbeck, a book so powerful it later helped earn him the Nobel Prize in Literature — and one whose original cover even featured the car itself.
The book and the film were The Grapes of Wrath. And the car? A 1926 Hudson Super Six.

We dare to say that this Hudson is a great icon of American history, both historical as cultural. It didn’t look shiny and cool though. By the time the movie was made the car was 13 years old and was in fact converted from a sedan to a well-worn truck. Not so strange, as the movie was all about the great depression and great migration, which took place in the mid-1930, notably from the dust- and storm-plagued Oklahoma to sunny California. Poor families packed all their belongings in oft-converted vehicles and just drove away, hoping for the best after thousands had been killed already by the extreme conditions. It is beautifully described and depicted in The Grapes of Wrath.

So what happened to the Hudson? That was shrouded in mystery for many years. After filming the car is said to have gone into storage ‘because the roof had collapsed from tremendous weight placed up it’. Its original sedan body supposedly placed next to it. It took until 2007 to be rediscovered by collector Gary Wales in California while he was buying an American LaFrance fire truck. “I spotted what appeared to be a complete 1926 Hudson with original low miles. But the body was totally shot”, Wales later said. He bought the car only to conclude soon that the truck body was too far gone to restore. But what he did next is something, which seems perhaps incredible now. In his own words: “So we decided to restore and rebuild the car into a period racer.” Yup. Wales turned this epitome of American history into a long-tailed fantasy racing Special.

That’s not even all. He discovered that it had originally been a rare and original aluminium-bodied factory demonstrator. Supposedly the preserved sedan body had no rust and the factory paint was still on it. He was quoted: “It is in absolutely wonderful condition and prime for our project. We will be restoring the complete chassis, engine and drive train and will fit an aluminum body. We hope to have it ready for summer.” 

By early 2010 the Hudson was totally unrecognizable both as a factory demonstrator or the movie star - see picture number 2. And then it made it to auction. “It was cost prohibitive and just not practical to return it as used in the movie”, wrote the auctioneer. But still they described as “One of the greatest movie cars ever found, after 69 years in storage. The original Joad family car used in John Steinbeck's movie ‘Grapes of Wrath’.” It went for $55,000 to the Route 66 Car Museum, which has it on permanent display today.

So… the book has gone into history as one of the greatest American novels and is widely considered as a cornerstone of 20th century literature. The film as a masterpiece, which has been preserved in the United States National Film Registry. And the car… wel… tell us what you think of that!

Words Jeroen Booij
Pictures Twentieth Century Fox / Yelp

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