1941 Hudson Super Six Station Wagon

The Hudson interiors and bodies were completely restyled for 1941, with the exception of their front fenders. The designs were made with the help of Betty Thatcher Oros, America's first female automotive designer. The wheelbase was extended by three inches, and the overall length also grew, offering greater legroom and improving passenger comfort. The vehicle height was lowered two inches with a flattened roofline. In the front was a refined grille design, along with restyled bright trim adding to the visual updates for 1941. For the interior, updates included upholstery available in both new materials and new shades of gray, tan, or green, with a wood-grained instrument panel and a horizontal-bar speedometer.

The wood-bodied Station Wagons were available on Hudson's Series 11 Super Six and Series 14 Commodore Eight lines, both sharing the 121-inch wheelbase chassis. Both were given wooden bodywork courtesy of J.T. Cantrell & Company, Hudson's customary supplier of station wagon bodies.

The J.T. Cantrell & Company was established in 1905 and was mainly sold and used within the northeastern United States, where many of the wealthiest families spent their summers and leisure time. In the 1920s, Cantrell renamed their Station Wagon design the 'Suburban' and went on to supply much of the American automotive industry with its wooden bodies.

This particular Cantrell-bodied 1941 Hudson Super Six Series 11 Station Wagon was the first donation to the Hostetler Hudson Museum in February 2015, and it entered the collection that March. The car was donated by Michael Kisber of Memphis, Tennessee.

This car has a push-button radio, rear-mounted spare, split rear bumper, and 'Caster' decals honoring Bill Caster, the late legendary surfer, surfboard shaper, and skateboard maker. The engine is an L-head inline six-cylinder unit displacing 212 cubic inches. There is a three-speed manual transmission and four-wheel Bendix hydraulic drum brakes

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2019