The Hudson Hornet

Hudson got its name from one of its financers, a Detroit department store entrepreneur named Joseph L. Hudson. The company’s first car rolled off its assembly line on July 3, 1909. From the start, Hudson proved to be an innovator in automotive design. Hudson cars were the first to feature dual brakes, dashboard-mounted “idiot” lights, and balanced crankshafts. This last innovation allowed Hudson to develop the straight-six engine. Dubbed the Super Six, Hudson’s inline-six cylinder engine would power the majority of their vehicles until the late fifties.

In 1932, Hudson started to phase out its budget Essex nameplate and introduce one of my personal favorites, the Terraplane. Amelia Earhart helped launch the line, christening the first Terraplane with a crack from a gasoline filled champagne bottle I’m sure played holy hell with the finish!

Hudson expanded, adapting and advancing to keep pace with technology and their competitors, even becoming the first female automotive designer in the US, Elizabeth Ann Thatcher. But Hudson’s success didn’t insulate it against the storm of World War II. As the US swung industry into the war effort, automotive companies were ordered to shut down and convert their production lines to the manufacture of wartime goods and Hudson was no exception. They manufactured aircraft parts, naval engines, and anti-aircraft guns.

When the War ended meant the return of the men who'd been fighting on the front lines and a return to producing consumer automobiles. Hudson launched its step-down body which featured a passenger compartment mounted down within the perimeter of the frame. The 1941 – 54 Hornet dominated NASCAR races and set records that still stand today, but the marketplace was changing and the forces of the market turned on smaller companies like Hudson, Kaiser, Packard, and Studebaker.

As the fifties progressed the Big Three began to squeeze smaller manufacturers. They could afford constant development and styling changes, giving their vehicles a fresh look each model year. Hudson's step-down body also made style changes difficult and expensive. Sales tumbled and only Korean War military contracts kept the Hudson afloat. The Hudson Jet failed to generate sales and Hudson was acquired by Nash-Kelvinator (makers of the Nash Rambler) in 1954, merging to create American Motors Company (AMC).

The last Hudson rolled off the assembly line in Kenosha, Wisconsin on June 25, 1957 without ceremony. In the minds of AMC’s management there was hope of continuing the Hudson and Nash names into the 1958 model year, but AMC's President George W. Romney (of failed presidential candidate lineage) decided the only way to compete was to focus on compact cars. Romney phased out Nash and Hudson at the end of 1957, making the decision so quickly that pre-production photographs of the 1958 Rambler Ambassador show Nash and Hudson versions.