The Hudson Super Six Coach is an automobile which was first manufactured by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan in 1916. The first model was kept in production until 1928. The nameplate was revived for a rebadged Essex for 1933 (single model year only), and then returned again from 1940 until 1951, aside from a wartime hiatus. The 1951s were actually called "Hudson Super Custom Six".
First generation (1916-1928)
The first Hudson Super Six was introduced on 16 January, 1916. Also known as the Series H, the Super Six was an early performance car. Its 288.5 cu in (4.7 L) inline-six developed 76 hp (57 kW), compared to the 40 hp (30 kW) of the equally dimensioned engine fitted to the contemporary Hudson Model Six-40. Before its introduction, Super Sixes made a series of speed runs on a track in Long Island, NY, followed by a new record transcontinental run (San Francisco to New York in 5 days, 3 hours, and 31 minutes - returning after an 8-hour break), a stock chassis speed record at Daytona Beach, a record at Pikes Peak, and the stock chassis 24-hour record at an average speed of 74.9 mph (120.5 km/h). The last record stood until 1931, when a Marmon took it.
In John Steinbecks novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family depends on a Hudson Super Six sedan converted into a truck. In the 1940 filmatization, the car used is a 1926 model. This car was put into storage after filming ended and, after having been discovered in a rather dilapidated condition, converted into a Speedster in 2009.
For 1927, the Hudson Super Six received a complete redesign including a new F-head engine, 18-inch wood spoke wheels (rather than 21 inches) and four-wheel brakes. The car was lower and generally more stylish, and power increased from 76 to 92 hp (57 to 69 kW). The lower-cost Model R sat on a 118 1⁄2 in (3,010 mm) wheelbase, while that of the Model S is 127
3⁄8 in (3,240 mm). Two standard bodies were available, a two-door Coach and a four-door Sedan. The Model O was also available with five different Custom bodystyles, made by Biddle and Smart of Massachusetts. he engine was updated in July 1927, with a new manifold and a different head design, including the relocation of the spark plugs and intake valves. Hudson chose not to increase the claimed power, but many consider the stated output to be very conservative.
In 1927, Essex also chose the Super Six label for their cars, while aligning their design with that of the larger Hudsons. Essex kept calling their cars Super Sixes in 1928 and off and on until 1932.
For 1928, the Model O and Model S continued with some styling changes, including a taller and slimmer radiator, larger, more oval headlights, and vertical louvers on the hood. Also new was a standard-bodied Coupe on the Model S chassis, as well as a Biddle and Smart-bodied roadster on the same short wheelbase. Murphy Body of Pasadena designed the custom bodies used on the Model O, although Hudson chose Biddle and Smart to build these designs. For 1929 the Super Six badge was dropped in favor of the "Greater Hudson" label, and for 1930 all Hudsons had eight-cylinder engines. The 1929 R and L models' wheelbases were stretched by about four inches, the wheels were changed to 19-inch wire wheels, but they carried over the Super Six engine as well as the Murphy-designed/Biddle and Smart-made bodies.
Source: Wikipedia
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