A hallmark for low price, good quality

The Hudson Motor Car Company was the brainchild of four talented young engineers.

THEY stopped making cars in 1957, yet the make remains a legend, with a significant enduring fanbase.

For decades, their cars set speed records, featured advanced engineering, and provided customers with stylish durable transportation.

The brand enjoyed an enviable brand loyalty that proved crucial for survival during the Great Depression.

And for a new generation, this marque has been forever linked to Route 66 as result of achieving a starring roll the animated Cars movies.

It is, of course, Hudson.

Fortuitously the company was named for the primary investor, Joseph L. Hudson, owner of the largest department store in Detroit.

The Hudson Motor Car Company was the brainchild of Roscoe Jackson, Roy Chapin, Howard Coffin and George Dunham, talented young engineers that had launched their automotive careers at Olds. Dunham and Coffin further perfected their skills at companies such as Thomas-Detroit and Chalmers Detroit. Their goal was an ambitious one, build a durable and stylish automobile that could be sold for under $US1000.

Launched in 1909 against an ever-rising tide of automobile manufacturers, including Ford Motor Company that had recently introduced the Model T, Hudson Motor Car Company stunned the industry with its immediate success.

The Model Twenty was an instant hit with the consumer. Available only as a roadster the 20-hp, four-cylinder cars were marketed with a 50mph guarantee and a $900 price tag. The price included headlamps, dual side lamps, generator, three speed transmission, tool set and horn. They were available in but one-color scheme, dark maroon with black striping, black fenders, and the interior was dark blue leather. The options list included Bosch magneto, windshield, rumble seat and twenty-five-gallon fuel tank.

In 1910 4508 vehicles were produced. This was a new first year record for an automobile manufacturer. Production in 1911 increased to 6486 vehicles, and Hudson found itself in an enviable position, they had outgrown their production facilities within two years.

A new facility was built on a 22-acre parcel at Jefferson Avenue and Conner Avenue in Detroit diagonally across from the Chalmers Automobile Company factory and sales continued to climb.

Management was not content to rest on its laurels and in 1911 the Howard Coffin designed Model 33 was introduced. Buda was replaced by Continental who manufactured the revolutionary engine with balanced crankshaft to Hudson specifications.

The signature clutch with cork face in an oil filled unit that would be a Hudson standard for decades was introduced in the Model 33. The following year the company continued offering this model with limited mechanical changes, but the big news was that it was now available in seven body styles including the Mile A Minute Roadster.

The company had moved far beyond its original plan of offering cars for a $1000 price. For 1912 the most reasonable model was the three door Torpedo with a list price of $1600.

Then, in 1913, with introduction of the four-cylinder Model 37 and six-cylinder Model 54, the company was able to expand the list of available body types and offer a vehicle in the mid-price range or the luxury market. The base Model 37 coupe had a factory list price of $1400. At the opposite end of the spectrum was the Model 54 seven passenger limousine priced at $3750.

For 1914 the company began promoting themselves as the largest manufacturer of six-cylinder automobiles in the world, and discontinued production of four-cylinder models.

But the big news came in 1916 with the introduction of the astounding Series H Super Six with the first Hudson built engine, a car that would transform the company and the automobile industry. Even though it continued to be refined and improved, the Super Six would remain the company’s foundation into the early 1950s.

After a series of impressive wins on various tracks, the eagerly anticipated car drew immediate attention for its styling as well as mechanical prowess when it was officially introduced in January 1916 at the New York Auto Show. For the remainder of the year the company fueled media attention with an array a record setting races, and endurance runs.

One of the most astounding was a transcontinental drive from New York to San Francisco in five days, three hours and 31 minutes. Then (after an eight-hour break) the team returned to New York in just over six days. Incredibly, aside from issues with tires, both trips were completed without mechanical failure.

Before the end of the year drivers behind the wheel of a Hudson Super Six had shattered numerous records including the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and the stock chassis 24-hour record with an average speed of 74.9mph. This record stood until 1931 when it was eclipsed by a V16 powered Marmon.

Record setting wins translated into sales and fierce brand loyalty. Sales remained steady through the WWI years, and only dipped slightly during the post war recession. Exemplifying the durability and racing prowess of the Hudson was the 1919 Indianapolis 500. Ira Vail rolled across the line in eighth place with an average speed of 94.1mph. Denny Hickey finished with an average speed of 80.22mph. Ora Haibe started in 26th place and finished in 14th but the most astounding fact was that each of these contenders was driving a used Hudson. The newest one was a 1917 model.

As the price for a Hudson had continued to climb the company introduced the Essex as a lower priced companion car in 1919. The Essex had a sales price $700 less than the base model Hudson. Even though it was a bare bones vehicle that lacked some of the amenities Hudson owners had come to expect the car was a proven performer.

Under strict AAA supervision a stock 55-horsepower, four-cylinder Essex was tested at the Cincinnati Speedway in December 1919. In 50 hours, the car was driven 3037.4 miles for an average speed of 60.75mph.

In 1920 a brilliant promotional initiative was launched. The drivers and relief drivers of four Essex cars were sworn in as US post Office letter carriers. Then a bag of mail was loaded in each car, two on the west coast and two on the east coast. The average time for completion of the coast to coast run was an astonishing four days, twenty-one hours, and thirty-two minutes. Not surprising is the fact that by the beginning of 1921 the Essex was outselling its parent.  

But this was just the beginning.

Part two next week.

 To read more by Jim Hinckley go to jimhinckleysamerica.com