1930 Hudson Model U Brougham

The Hudson Motor Car Company was founded by Howard Coffin, George W. Dunham, and Roy E. Chapin and was largely funded by department store owner Joseph L. Hudson. It was incorporated in February 1909 and built its first car in July of that year. Twelve months later, they had sold 4,000 units, the industry's best first-year sales record to date. In 1910, Hudson was the eleventh-largest car company in America. In October 1910, they introduced an entirely new car which was manufactured alongside the original Model 20. The Model 20 was dropped two years after it was in production, leaving the Model 33 as the only Hudson on offer for 1912. The Model 33 range was superseded in July of that year by the longer wheelbase Model 37. It came equipped with a Continental-built four-cylinder 37 horsepower engine displacing 280.6 cubic inches.

By 1913, Hudson made its name as 'The World's Largest Builder of Six-Cylinder Cars.' The 'Super Six' of 1916 was a technical tour de force featuring a counterbalanced crankshaft which was an industry breakthrough.

Early on, Hudson built a reputation for their innovation, but company management also recognized the value created by careful evolution over revolution. This was demonstrated by Hudson's 1921 - 1922 Super Six models. They were introduced on December 1st, 1920. Essentially carried over from the 1920 line, these cars retained the basic styling, steering wheel, classic H-pattern shifter, and instrument-panel layout of the earlier cars. Lightly updated models appeared in September of 1921. Hoping to cope with the post-World War I depression, Hudson reduced prices twice during 1921.

During the 1920s, Hudson realized the marketplace demanded straight eights. For 1927, Hudson introduced radically updated automobiles, headlined by the retirement of the Super Six engine in favor of a new six-cylinder with F-head architecture displacing 288.5 cubic inches and developing 92 rated horsepower. The new-for-1927 Hudsons ushered in the use of four-wheel brakes, new rear suspension, and updated styling.

As the 1920s were coming to a close, the Great Depression was wreaking havoc on the economy. Hudson had very strong sales for 1929, followed by 36,674 cars for 1930 - nearly half of 1929's production.

The Great 8 was Hudson's first eight-cylinder engine. It was designed in-house and was essentially an enlarged version of the 1929 Essex Super Six. The L-head 'eight' displaced 213.8 cubic inches and was rated at 80 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. Surprisingly, the new eight-cylinder engine was lighter than its predecessor. With continual refinement, the Great 8 would be used to power Hudson's top models through 1952.

The Great 8 was used in the shorter Series T and the longer-wheelbase Series U. This particular example is a 1930 Hudson Great 8 Series U Five-Passenger Brougham. It is a second-series example that had a factory price of $1,145 when new. The car came into the Eldon Hostetler collection in already-restored condition.

This car is powered by a 213.8 cubic-inch L-head eight-cylinder engine rated at 80 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission and four-wheel Bendix mechanical drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2019