HUDSON

Hudson Motor Car Co. (1910-1954)

American Motors Corp. (1954-1957)

Detroit, Michigan

This is a Hudson Model 20 radiator emblem (1909-1910)    ms
Size: Unknown     MM: Unknown

The first Hudson car was produced in July 1909 and by July 1910 more than 4,000 had been sold making this the highest first-year sales record in the automobile industry in America. The car was the Hudson Model 20, which was a 20 hp four-cylinder automobile offered as a brass finished roadster or as four-door roadster and touring models. The Hudson Model 20 continued in production until late 1910 for the 1911 model year.

The introduction of the six-cylinder Hudson in 1913 and its lower price in 1914 turned Hudson into a major auto manufacturer. Previously, six-cylinder cars had been seen as luxury vehicles. From 1914 all Hudsons were six-cylinder cars with over 10,000 produced in 1914 and over 12,000 in 1915. A Super-Six arrived in January 1916 and in April 1916 Ralph Mulford drove a Super-Six to a new one-mile straight-away stock car record of 102.5mph and several other records were broken in the same year proving the speed and endurance of the Hudson Super-Six. Hudson production doubled to over 25,000 cars in 1916.

In 1917 Hudson built some ambulances and light trucks based on the Hudson Super-Six for the US military. The Essex was introduced in 1918 as the low-priced companion to Hudson (see Essex).

The best year for Hudson was 1929 with a production of over 300,000 cars with the Super Six leading the way. In 1930 the Hudson decided to introduce a straight eight model, which was initially planned to be named the Hudson Super Eight. However, Packard had registered the "Super Eight" as a trademark and so, after producing a very small number of Super Eights, possibly as low as a dozen, Hudson changed the name to the Hudson Great Eight. The majority of the Hudson Super Eights that were produced are believed to have been exported to Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but I cannot confirm this. 

The Depression in the US affected Hudson sales and, by 1933, the most popular Hudson was the Terraplane (see Terraplane), which boosted overall sales considerably and Hudson survived the 1930's in good order. Production in the 1930's included 1/2-ton pickups using the Terraplane 6 chassis. These commercials were known as Terraplane until 1937. Hudson stopped car production in 1942 and made military equipment for the duration of the Second World War.

Hudson production resumed in 1946. The Hornet model range built between 1951 and 1954 was a success and was boosted by Hudson performance in auto racing. But Hudson could not compete with Ford and General Motors and sales began to fall. In 1954 Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors. The Hudson name was dropped after 1957.

Emblems

The Hudson Model 20 displayed a brass radiator script and carried a triangular brass emblem soldered to the top of the radiator tank, see example shown above and the painted example shown below. This Hudson radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a Hudson Model 20 radiator emblem (1909)     yahm
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown 

The serial plate for the same Hudson 20 carrying the emblem shown above was also painted black, see photo below:

This is a Hudson Model 20 serial plate (1909)     yahm

The first Hudson 20 cars also carried the Hudson name on the hub caps, see example below:

This is a Hudson 20 hub cap (1909)     yahm

The brass radiator emblem used on the Hudson Model 20 was replaced by a white enamel triangular radiator emblem for the Hudson Model 33 from late 1910. Several varieties of the white enamel triangular radiator emblem were used by Hudson from 1910, some examples are shown below, but I do not have details of the exact dates of use or Model numbers of all of these. If you have any further details, please let me know, in order to update this post.

This is a Hudson Model 33 radiator emblem (1910-1911)    ms
Size: 63mm wide 54mm high    MM: Unknown

This is an early Hudson radiator emblem (c1911-1912)    mjs
Size: 63mm wide 54mm high   MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The two Hudson radiator emblems shown above are very rare.

This is a Hudson radiator emblem (c1914-1915)     mjs
Size: 61mm wide 55mm wide    MM: Whitehead & Hoag

This is a Hudson Super Six radiator emblem (1918)     dnc
Size: 64mm wide 55mm high     MM: D L Auld

This is a Hudson radiator emblem (c1919-1920)    mjs
Size: 64mm wide 55mm high    MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson radiator emblem (c1920)      mjs
Size: 64mm wide 55mm high    MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson Super Six radiator emblem (c1923-1926)      ms
Size: 64mm wide 55mm high       MM: Unknown

The following Hudson emblem is finished in unusual enamel colors. It is similar in appearance to the Hudson radiator emblem used in about 1914. This may be an original emblem with colors to match the body color or, possibly, an early emblem, which was restored in new colors at a much later date.

This appears to be a Hudson radiator emblem (c1914)     sam
Size: 64mm wide 55mm high   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson Super Six Model O radiator emblem (1927)    mjs
Size: 64mm wide 55mm high   MM: Robbins

This is a Hudson Model O&S Super Six radiator emblem (1928)    mjs
Size: 64mm wide 55mm high     MM: Robbins

This is a Hudson Model O&S Super Six export model radiator emblem (1928)    dnc
Size: 64mm wide 55mm high        MM: Robbins 

This is a Hudson Super Six spare wheel cover emblem (1927)  gcm
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

This is another Hudson spare wheel cover emblem (date unknown)  ms
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson radiator emblem (1928)    gcm
Size: Unknown     MM: Unknown

The inverted triangle Hudson radiator emblem shown above is very rare.

This is a Hudson Super Six Model R radiator emblem (1929)    mjs
Size: 70mm wide 66mm high      MM: Robbins

In 1930, Hudson introduced their eight cylinder Super Eight, which lasted a few months only, making the following Hudson Super Eight a very rare radiator emblem:

This is a Hudson Super Eight radiator emblem (1930)  mjs
Size: 65mm wide 62mm high     MM: Unknown

The Hudson Super Eight was renamed the Great Eight later in 1930, see the radiator emblem shown below:

This is a Hudson Eight radiator emblem (1930-1931)     mjs
Size: 65mm wide 62mm high   MM: Unknown

Some Hudson Great Eight models, like the Series T Sport Roadster, also carried a front bumper emblem displaying the figure "8", see example shown below:

Hudson Great Eight bumper emblem (1930) bonhams

The following show later Hudson Eight radiator emblems:

This is a Hudson Eight radiator emblem (c1932)     ms
Size: 51mm wide 50mm high   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson Eight radiator emblem (c1933)      mjs
Size: 51mm wide 50mm high   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson Eight export model radiator emblem (c1933)      mjs
Size: 51mm wide 50mm high   MM: Fox

This is a Hudson DeLuxe Eight radiator emblem (1934)    gcm
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson Eight radiator emblem (1934)    ms
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson Eight radiator emblem (c1935)     mjs
Size: 50mm wide 48mm high     MM: D L Auld

This is a Hudson Series 64-67 Eight radiator emblem (1936)     mjs
Size: 64mm high 48mm wide   MM: D L Auld

This is a Hudson Series 63 Six radiator emblem (1936)    mjs
Size: 64mm high 48mm wide   MM: D L Auld

This is a Hudson DeLuxe Eight fender emblem (1936)    ms
Size: 89mm wide 80mm high

This is a Hudson DeLuxe Eight showing the fender emblems (1936)    ms

This is a Hudson Eight radiator emblem (c1937)     mjs
Size: 64mm high 48mm wide   MM: D L Auld

This is a Hudson Eight export model radiator emblem (c1937)      mjs
Size: 64mm high 48mm wide      MM: D L Auld

This is a Hudson Eight radiator emblem (1938)    ms
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson 112 hood emblem (1938)    car.info
Size: Unknown   MM:Unknown 

This is a Hudson Country Club Eight radiator emblem (1939)     ms
Size: 128mm high 52mm wide   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson 112 hood emblem (1939)    khc
Size: 73mm high 46mm wide    MM: SM

This is a Hudson Series 44 radiator emblem (1940)     ms
Size: Unknown  MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson radiator emblem (1942)    ms
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

There was a completely new emblem for the Hudson Commodore when production resumed after the Second World War in 1946, see example shown below. This Hudson emblem was mounted at the top of the radiator grille and continued in use through 1949.

This is a Hudson radiator emblem (1946-1949)     ms
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

The Hudson Commodore radiator emblem was finished in red from 1950 to 1954, see examples shown below:

This is a Hudson radiator emblem (1950)    bonhams

This is a Hudson radiator emblem (1952)    ms
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson radiator emblem (1953)     ms
Size: 138mm high 116mm wide   MM: Unknown

This is a Hudson radiator grille emblem (1950-1954)   mjs
Size: 138mm high 116mm wide     MM: Unknown

The following Hudson emblem, finished in enamel and displaying a crown and the "King of Motor Cars" slogan, appears to be genuine but I do not know when or where it was used. If you have any information about this Hudson emblem, please let me know in order to update this post. This Hudson emblem is rare.

This appears to be a Hudson emblem (dates unknown)     mjs
Size: 70mm high 47mm wide     MM: None

The Hudson "20" emblem finished in white enamel shown below has been seen on some early Hudson cars but, as shown earlier, the Hudson 20 is known to have had a brass radiator emblem, sometimes painted black, with the first Hudson emblem finished in enamel appearing on the Model 33 in 1911. I do not know, if the Hudson emblem shown below was actually used on any Model 20 cars at the time. It seems more likely that this emblem was introduced at a much later date. If you have better information about this Hudson emblem, please let me know in order to update this post.

This appears to be a Hudson "20" emblem (date unknown)    sam
Size: 64mm wide 55mm high    MM: Unknown