Historic Hudsons return to their birthplace

I must confess I don't know much about Hudsons. Sure, I saw the movie "Cars" with Paul Newman as the voice of Doc Hudson, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. And I knew a few people that had project cars tucked under tarps in the back of their shops. I've even visited Ypsilanti's Automotive Heritage Museum and Miller Motors Hudson, but I'd never seen 100+ Hudsons in one place, at one time. Then again, neither have most Hudson owners.

The Hudson-Essex-Terraplane story began in Detroit, Michigan 100 years ago. Local investors, including department store magnate J.L .Hudson and Ransom Eli Olds, decided to produce an automobile that sold for $1000. The 1909 Hudson Model 50 sold for only $50.00 more than a Ford Model T and featured a more advanced sliding gear transmission.

This year's centennial meet feature three of those early Hudsons, including a dark red 1909 Model 50, and a stunning 1912 Model 33, the "Mile-A-Minute" roadster. These rare cars were even more impressive in motion. I don't think I could drive one, as the gas, brake and clutch pedals are not in the standard spots they occupy today.

In 1919, the company brought out the smaller, less expensive Essex. The Essex has been described as a ¾ scale Hudson and was the lowest-priced closed coach car in America in the early 1920s. The Terraplane model was introduced in 1932 as the entry level Hudson. Think Cadillac, Buick, Chevy.

The Depression had a significant impact on Hudson. Their straight eight engines took a back seat to the more affordable six cylinders, especially those featured in the Essex division and the Terraplane models. And New Deal programs lead to lower steel prices allowing Hudson to move to an all-steel bodied vehicle in 1932.

I spotted a real beauty strolling down the aisle of pre-WWII cars, a 1935 Hudson 8 Brougham with great family history. The car was originally sold new by the current owner's father at the family Hudson dealership in Chesaning, Michigan back in 1935. The car was bought back some years later and restored after sitting in a field for 17 years. The family owned garage is still in Chesaning and run by 4th generation Hudson enthusiast.

One of my favorite things to do at car shows is to read license plates and check out period details. The Hudson National Meet did not disappoint--there were cars from all over the United States and Canada plus owners from as far away as England, New Zealand and Australia.

Mixed in with the American Hudsons were a few foreign surprises. I'd never heard of a Railton 8 before, the friendly group of Hudson enthusiasts were kind enough to educate me. British coach builder Ranalah fitted a custom body to an eight cylinder Hudson Terraplane chassis creating a two door tourer that had a 0 to 60 time of 13 seconds. Less than 1400 Railton 8's were built between 1933 and 1939; three of the approximately 100 survivors were at the show.

The Hudson-Essex-Terraplane (HET) club members were also quick to point out other show standouts: the large gathering on Hudson Pickups, the 1954 Hudson Italia prototype and production car and a one of a kind 1954 Hudson Jet convertible headed for Pebble Beach. And this wasn't the "look but do not touch" crowd. Doors were opened, trunks and hoods lifted up, and a chance to sit behind the wheel was offered.

The 1954 Hudson Italia, a Hudson Jet chassis with a handmade aluminum body built by Carrozzeria Touring in Italy, was dressed in Italian Cream with red and cream interiors. Equipped with Borrani wheels, less than 30 were ever built. What is even more striking was the contrast between the rather crude lines of the prototype and the sleek design of the production car. The tail lights look like space age exhaust pipes, the rather futuristic front end features headlight "eyebrows" that give the car a quizzical look. With only a reported 25 cars built, that sold for $4,350, the Italia was one of the casualties of Hudson's upcoming merger with Nash to form American Motors on May 1, 1954.

There really was something for everyone at the meet. The biggest crowds weren't around the Twin H powered "Fabulous Hudson Hornet", a legendary NASCAR racer or the 1946 Nepal Ivory Commodore 8 convertible with its Drive Master transmission and pivoting passenger seat. No, the crowds were watching Randy Maas of Hayward, IL do burn outs in his 1941 flathead 6 Traveler with open headers and bigs-n'-littles.

Of interest at the show was a car that appeared to be the front clip of the Hudson Italia mated to something that looked much like a four-door 1955 Nash, from the A-pillar to the rear (wrap-around windshield and a very Nash-like C-pillar treatment). Although it was listed as an Italia four-door prototype, could this have been the X-161 prototype, reportedly built by Carrozzeria Touring in 1954, about the same time that the Nash-Hudson merger was completed? Some people believe that this was the styling direction that Hudson's Frank Spring might have taken with the full-sized 1957 models, had Hudson not merged with Nash.

So what happened to Hudson Motors? In the end Hudson merged with Nash in 1954 to form American Motors which was in turn absorbed by Chrysler, which is now part of Fiat. Mind boggling to think of all the great American car companies based in greater Detroit that have come and gone.

Photos courtesy of Ingo Rautenberg and David Laing.

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E Souers  - Hornet Italia |07-2-2009 I enjoyed the article on the Hudson 100th anniversary. I am the owner of the Italia and the Hornet Italia prototype mentioned. Just a short note about the Hornet Italia. It was dubded the X-161 in a Car Life magazine article in 1961. It is one of those urban legands. 161 is actually a paint code. It was refered to at the factory and by Frank Spring the designer as the Hornet Italia. ReplyQuote 0 0

Heart Of Texas  - Great Article |07-2-2009 Thank you for taking the time to capture the Centennial meet of the Hudson Essex Terraplane Club. You did a great job capturing the meet story and hi liteing the special cars that Ed Souers has brought together. Best Wishes from HOT ReplyQuote 0 0

Larry Tebo  - What fun... |07-3-2009 Terrific piece about a memorable marque, and the way they are kept alive by their loyal followers. My only physical contact with a Hudson automobile came as a kid, when I rode occasionally in an old Wasp that a neighbor owned. In a mid-1960s world of sleek, "extruded" Impalas, Bonnevilles, and Galaxies, that musty old Hudson seemed like an armored car, with its gunslit windows and skirted wheels and general torpedo-shape. It looked WEIRD. But all these years later, I can still smell the aroma of the interior of that car, and remember how smoothly, and calmly it just seemed to glide along the road, unlike the newer cars. Sometimes I think that that old Hudson was one of the 2 or 3 cars that got me hooked on old cars in the first place, and for that, I thank Hudson profusely. They don't look weird now. They look beautiful. ReplyQuote 0 0

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