Hudson Essex Super Six Coupé 1929 - World Of Classic Cars -

Hudson Essex Super Six Coupé 1929

The name 'Hudson' came from Joseph L. Hudson, a Detroit department store entrepreneur and founder of Hudson's department store, who provided the necessary capital and gave permission for the company to be named after him. A total of eight Detroit businessmen formed the company on February 20, 1909,to produce a car which would sell for less than $1,000. Production followed quickly with the first car being driven out of the small factory in Detroit on July 3, 1909. The new Hudson 'Twenty' was one of the first low-priced cars on the American market and very successful with more than 4,000 sold during the

Hudson Essex Super Six Coupé 1929

first year. The company had a number of firsts including dual brakes, the use of dashboard oil-pressure and generator warning lights and the first balanced crankshaft which allowed the Hudson straight-six engine, dubbed the 'Super Six', to work at a higher rotational speed while remaining smooth and developing more power for its size than lower-speed engines. In 1919, Hudson introduced the Essex brand, designed to compete with Ford and Chevrolet as opposed to the more up-scale Hudson line. The Essex found great success by offering one of the first affordable sedans and combined Hudson and Essex sales moved from seventh in the US to an amazing third by 1925.  At their peak in 1929, Hudson and Essex produced a combined 300,000 cars in one year including contributions from Hudson's other factories in Belgium and England; indeed, a factory had been built in 1925 in Brentford, London.