In a crowded auto market with hundreds of makes and models available, Hudson had the best first year’s production in automobile industry history.
The carmaker found success early. In its second year of operation, the new Hudson “Twenty,” one of the lowest-priced cars on the American market, sold more than 4,000 units.
In a crowded auto market with hundreds of makes and models available, Hudson had the best first year’s production in automobile industry history. In one year, it had become the eleventh-largest auto company in America.
Forty-Eight Years Of Innovation
During its nearly five decades in operation, Hudson established a reputation as an innovator with the introduction of features not found on its competitor’s models.
In the early years, while other carmakers produced open vehicles, a configuration evolved from the horse-pulled carriage, Hudson protected the driver and passengers from the weather by building mostly closed models. The company moved the steering wheel to the left, the hand levers to the center, and it made cars easier and safer to start by adopting the GM self-starter.
Hudson smoothed the idle and allowed for high engine revs, by introducing the first balanced crankshaft on their straight-six engine.
The company designed a durable cork clutch and placed generator and oil pressure warning lights on the dashboard. Hudson also developed a dual brake system in which mechanical brakes activated when the driver pressed the hydraulic pedal beyond the usual maximum point. On the Terraplane models built from 1935 to 1938, Hudson offered a steering column-mounted electric gear.
Hudson was not only a front-runner with new technology but occasionally it also led the industry with the introduction of a new style. A significant early success was the economical steel-bodied four-cylinder Essex launched in 1919 to compete with Chevrolet and Ford.
Despite the 1919-20 recession, the Essex sold well, and by 1925, it had boosted Hudson to third place behind Chevrolet and Ford. In 1929, Hudson sales exceeded 300,000 cars, but the devasting 1929 Depression resulted in plummeting sales in the following years.
Hudson continued its tradition of introducing state-of-the-art features in 1936 with the “radial safety control” or “rhythmic ride” suspension using longer and softer leaf springs for a smoother ride. The system was replaced in 1940 an independent front suspension, usually found only in more expensive models.
Two years later, Hudson introduced the Drive-Master transmission, giving the driver a choice of fully automatic shifting, manual shifting, or manual shifting with automatic clutch.
Failure To Develop A V8
Ford’s V8 and Chrysler’s “dual rocker” (Hemi) V8 introduced in 1951 provided salespeople with a valuable sales asset and a competitive advantage over the Hudson six-cylinder. Despite Hudson’s success on the racetrack with the six, American buyers yearned for more cylinders.
In the 1920s, Hudson had built an enviable reputation largely due to its Super and Special Sixes. They powered big cars that offered a smooth ride, excellent performance, and good reliability for the money.
In 1930, the company introduced the Great Eight line featuring an eight-cylinder engine, but it was an inline eight. Not only did the engine lack a V8 configuration, but at 213.5 cubic inches, it was smaller than previous Hudson six-cylinder engines and produced a mere 80 horsepower. Displacement was increased in the following years, first to 233.7 cid producing 87 bhp, and then 254 cid generating 101 bhp. But the inline eight failed to help sell Hudson cars in a depressed market.
Jay Leno stated, “Hudson’s big problem was, they never developed a V8.”
Automobile historians contend that Hudson’s refusal to offer a V8 engine hurt the company and contributed to its eventual failure.
The Hudson Hornet “Step-Down” Showed Great Promise
After WWII, car manufacturers turned their attention away from making products for the war effort and looked for innovative designs that would help sell automobiles.
In 1948, Hudson introduced the most radical car in its history, one that is sought after by collectors today.
The “step-down” models were made with the lowest center of gravity of any American car of the time. The vehicles featured an innovative recessed or dropped floorpan built with strong frame girders that surrounded passengers. The design created an unparalleled safe car, perhaps the safest ever.
The rattle-free unitized construction resulted in a radically low center of gravity for great handling on city streets and the racetrack. The long “torpedo” body with fully skirted rear wheels, flush-fender sides, a low, horizontal grille, and modest taillamps rode on a 124-inch wheelbase providing a smooth ride and enormous interior space.
The new Hudson appearance appealed to most buyers making 1948 Hudson models became a huge success.
However, the “Step-Down” unitized design was expensive to change, forcing Hudson to stay with the same style until 1954. Consumers turned away from the models, always seeking something different with each new model year. Slow sales depleted Hudson’s cash reserves and forced the company to look for a solution.
Hudson And Nash-Kelvinator Merger Marks The Beginning Of The End
In 1954, the Hudson Motor Car Company faced a bleak outlook with continuing losses. The company agreed to merge with Nash, hoping the larger entity would provide the economies of scale needed to compete with Ford and GM.
The newly combined firm became the largest merger in U.S. history, but it was too small, and sales were too erratic to succeed.
In 1955, the Hudson division introduced a new line of Hornet and Wasp models, claiming the cars were “new from stem to stern.” However, sales plummeted when prospective buyers discovered the “new Hudson” was merely an old but restyled Nash.
By 1957, corporate leaders switched to the corporate name to AMC and renamed all their cars Rambler. Chrysler bought AMC in 1989 and incorporated the AMC engineering staff into the leading-edge Chrysler Engineering division.
While the Hudson automobile no longer exists, its influence on the automobile industry is without question. The Hudson, two other AMC products, Nash, and Willys, helped Chrysler Corporation enter a new golden age.