Hudson Motor Car
The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson brand automobiles in Detroit, Michigan from 1909 to 1957.
Hudson Six-40, 1914
In 1919 Hudson introduced the Essex brand line of automobiles; the line originally was Hudson's line for middle class auto buyers, designed to compete with Ford and Chevrolet, as opposed to the more up-scale Hudson line.
One of Hudson's most famous cars was the Terraplane produced between 1932-1938, first as Essex-Terraplane in 1932-1933 and then as Terraplane until 1938.
The company had a number of 'firsts' for the auto industry including the self starter, dual brakes, and the first balanced crankshaft, which allowed the Hudson straight-6 engine to work at a higher rotational speed while remaining smooth, developing more power than lower-revving engines. Most Hudsons has straight-6 engines.
At its peak in 1929, 300,000 cars were produced in one year - Hudson and Essex combined - including contributions from Hudson's other factories in Belgium, England and Canada.
Hudson ceased auto production from 1942 through 1945 to manufacture war materials during World War II, including aircraft parts and naval engines.
On January 14, 1954 Hudson merged with Nash Motors to become American Motors.
The brandname was discontinued at the end of the 1957 production year.
In the late 1950's the sedan's high power to weight ratio made it a popular choice for use in drag racing, where it was a frequent winner in its class with minimal modification. Hudson Hornet's dominated NASCAR in 1951, 1952 and 1953.