The Freewheelers Car Club

Marque of the Month

Hudson
July

	was founded in 1908.
	was ranked 3rd - 5th in production from 1925 - 1930.
	was a unit-body structure from 1932 - 1957.
	was a pioneer in lower-wider cars with the "Step-down" design of 1948.
	was merged with Nash in 1954 to form AMC, and last badged as Hudson in 1957.


1941 Commodore 8	1946 Pickup	1952 Hornet	1953 Super Wasp	1954 Italia	1955 Wasp	1957 Hornet

Hudson was a strong middle-class car in the first half of the 20th century. Hudson's were six-and eight-cylinder cars, with junior makes Essex and Terraplane offering four-and six-cylinder models. Hudson was formed and based in Detroit. Hudson used unit-body construction beginning in 1932, and was one of the first American car companies to do so. Hudsons were known for performance and room, traits that did them well for most of the life of the company.

The "Big-Three" price wars, and the cost to update the landmark 1948 "Step-down" body, cut into the company profits, and led to a merger with Nash in 1954. The merger resulted in all production moving to Nash headquarters in Wisconsin, and the 1955-1957 Hudsons were in reality Nashes with different grilles.

Did You Know?

Hudson made the first mass-produced popular-priced closed car, the Essex, in 1922.
Roy D. Chapin, one of Hudson's founders, was Herbert Hoover's Secretary of Commerce.
Hudson set an AAA endurance record in 1940, traveling over 20,000 miles at 70mph.
Hudson dominated NASCAR from 1951 - 1954, with a six-cylinder engine.
Hudson made 25 Italias in 1954, all built in Italy with aluminum bodies.