Why Did Hudson Disappear? | The Bad Blonde Car History

How Did Hudson Disappear? | The Bad Blonde Car History
Hudson Motor Car Company was one of the leading American Automotive manufacturers in it’s day, dominating the NASCAR series of the 50s, but where did it go and why is it no longer around?
Let’s start at the beginning with the birth of the Hudson Motor Car Company.
In 1909 eight leading Detroit businessmen decided they wanted to build an automobile company.
The Hudson Motor Car Company was quick into action, it was founded in February and their first car the Hudson 20 rolled off production in July.
They were ahead of the game, the Hudson 20 was one of the first low-priced cars on the American market.
Just a reminder, in the early days of the automobile market only the wealthy could afford these horseless carriages. Making the automobile affordable to the masses was a big key to success… To note, Henry Ford would also triumph in selling affordable vehicles.
The Hudson 20 was a hit, selling just over 4,500 it was the best first-year’s production in history of the automobile in that time, making Hudson the 17th automaker world-wide. With such success, they needed a bigger factory and the Hudson Motor Car Company grew.
In 1919, Hudson created the Essex brand with a focus on budget-minded consumers, this brand competed directly with the titans Ford and Chevrolet.
In it’s early glory, Hudson achieved many first innovations including dual brakes, dashboard oil-pressure and generator warning lights, and the first balanced crankshaft…
It was that balanced crankshaft that allows the Hudson Super Six engine (straight six) to work at a higher rotational speed while staying smooth.. This created more power for it’s size than lower-speed engines.
The Super Six was a straight six engine, it was the first engine built by Hudson. Prior they had designed the engine but had it produced by Continental Motors Company. Most all Hudsons would be powered by a straight 6 until 1957. This would also be to their detriment.
At it’s peak and before the Great Depression, Hudson would produce 300,000 cars. Those numbers making Hudson the third largest US car maker following Ford Motor and Chevrolet.
Hudson was one of the first to include women into design, in 1939 they hired Elizabeth Ann Thatcher. She is considered one of the first American female designers, she contributed to the 1941 Hudson bringing exterior trim with side lighting and interior instrument panel.. She would leave after marrying Joe Oros who would become head of design on the Mustang team.
And now we hit WWII which stopped everything in it’s tracks. The US government prohibited auto production from 1942-1945. Hudson ceased automobile production and contributed to the wartime effort.
During the war they produced aircraft parts, auto parts, anti-aircraft guns, and naval engines of which included the Hudson “Invader” engine that powered many of the landing craft that carried soldiers on D-day.
Post WWII, Hudson was in full production mode producing the newest, biggest and best handling cars of the day.
It is said because of that leak to Wall Street and the jump in stock prices, the Fisher Brothers tender offer did match the sudden increase in Hudson market value. The deal did not happen.
Naturally we should talk about the Hudson Hornet! Produced from 1951-1954, featuring the functional “step-down” design which essentially was a dropped floor plan allowing a lower center of gravity than contemporary vehicles.
This lower look was heightened by a streamlined design often referred to as pontoon styling.
From 1951-1953, all Hornets were powered by the High-compression straight six… And with the option of the Twin-H-Power (dual carb)
In 1951, the Hudson was the fastest American production car
When no other car maker was involved in stock car racing, Hudson saw an opportunity and was the first. The Hornet absolutely dominated stock car racing in the early 1950s.
Naturally it’s time to talk about the Fabulous Hudson Hornets… A famously successful NASCAR campaign of Hudson Hornet’s driven by several drivers, a few to name Herb Thomas, Marshall Teague, and Tim Flock.
Hudson knew old adage “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday,” and with that they directly backed their teams with everything they needed to increase speed.
Marshall Teague who first termed the Fabulous Hudson Hornet moniker won 27 of the 34 major stock car races.
In 1953, Herb Thomas dominated the NASCAR season in his Fabulous Hudson Hornet, taking 15 wins and the championship.
Even with such racing successes, the market was too tough of competition for the small automaker.
Consumers were buying other cars because of the engine. Why not get a V8 when for the same amount of money instead of an inline 6. They would eventually introduce one but too late of a reaction to the market.
In 1954, Hudson joined with Nash-Kelvinator creating American Motors Corporation and the Hudson name would be retired in 1957 to the Rambler.