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1933 Essex Terraplane Series KT Eight

The Essex Motor Company was formed in 1917 and made its debut the following year as Hudson Motor Company's 'junior' companion marque. It operated from the old No. 5 Studebaker plant on Detroit's Franklin Avenue. Essex was named after an English town and was financed and managed by top Hudson staff. For example, Hudson president Roy D. Chapin and other leading Hudson staff served on the Essex board of directors. Essex president William S. McAneeny was Hudson's factory manager, and top Hudson executives Roscoe B. Jackson and A.E. Barit held administrative posts at Essex.

The original Essex vehicles were powered by a 55 horsepower 'four' mounted in a 108-inch wheelbase and given angular body designs. They were relatively inexpensive while offering good performance and reliability. The first Essex automobiles were produced in December of 1918 as 1919 models after they had been delayed due to World War I.

Essex vehicles are credited with beginning the trend away from open-bodied cars. They realized very early the interest in closed cars, offering America's lowest-priced version starting in 1922. Henry Ford is credited with creating the affordable car, while Essex had much to do with making Sedans available to the masses.

The cars were very dependable and won several hill climbing challenges including the 1923 Pikes Peak run with Glen Shultz driving. In December of 1919, an AAA-supervised demonstration test was executed involving an Essex being driven to speeds exceeding 60 mph at the Cincinnati Speedway over 50 hours and 3,037.4 miles. Four Essex motorcars participated in a publicized transcontinental run in August of 1920, with a mail pouch transported by each car and each driver swore in as an official letter carrier.

Essex sales were impressive, outselling Hudson two consecutive years in 1919 and 1920, and matching them for 1921. 92 cars were produced in 1918 as 1919 models. Over the years, sales continued to escalate and propelled the Hudson Motor Car Company into third place in overall sales for 1929.

In 1922, Essex and Hudson were merged into a single company. The Essex vehicles received a new wider body for the Touring car with front hinges and wider doors. Body styles included the Tourer, Sedan, Cabriolet, and a new two-door, five-passenger coach. Mechanical updates heightened reliability and durability. The four-cylinder engine received a new cylinder head, a more efficient fuel intake, repositioned spark plugs, and a Morse timing chain.

Partway through the 1932 model year, the name of the Series E Essex was changed from its Greater Essex Super Six to Essex Super-Six Pacemaker before becoming just the Essex Pacemaker when the Essex Standard Series was introduced in 1932. Also in 1932 began the Terraplane model of Essex was built by the Hudson Motor Car Company. They were introduced in July with Orville Wright receiving the first example built. Amelia Earhart received car number two. The Terraplane received much interest and fanfare within the automotive industry that within a year the Essex Terraplane became simply the Terraplane. Powering the Terraplane was a larger and more powerful version of the Essex six. The six-cylinder unit displaced 193.1 cubic inches and offered 70 horsepower. It had a lower compression ratio, new engine mounts, and a new downdraft carburetor. They had a sliding gear transmission, Bendix mechanical brakes at all four corners, and a wheelbase that measured 106 inches. Twelve body styles were offered including a roadster, business coupe, coach, phaeton, and sedan.

The Terraplane Six line consisted of both Standard and Special versions.

The 1933 Series K Terraplane rested on the same 106-inch wheelbase used in 1932. In May, Essex revamped the line and introduced the 113-inch wheelbase Series KU Special Six models. The Special Six was no longer available and the Standard line was renamed the Terrplane Standard Six. In August, the Series Ku line became the DeLuxe Six Terraplane.

The top-of-the-line model was the eight-cylinder Essex Terraplane, which had the eight-cylinder engine, chrome grille bars, twin horns mounted beneath the headlights, cooling-vent doors on the sides of the hood, and front fender mounted auxiliary lights. The eight-cylinder engine displaced 243.9 cubic inches and delivered 94 horsepower. They had a three-speed sliding gear transmission and Bendix mechanical brakes on all four corners. The 113-inch platform featured unitized body/frame construction, a solid front, and a semi-floating rear axle with leaf springs, adjustable steering posts, and hydraulic shock absorbers.

Stock Terraplanes set 72 hillclimb and speed records in 1932 and 1933 under AAA supervision. At Daytona Beach, a Terraplane 8 made an 85-mph top speed run and clocked a zero to 60 mph time in under 15 seconds. At Pikes Peak, Al Miller upped the 1932 record time set by a Terraplane to capture the Penrose Trophy, with second, third, and fourth place in the stock-car class also won by Terraplanes.

by Dan Vaughan

DeLuxe Convertible Coupe
Chassis number: 74187

This particular example is a top-of-the-line 1933 Essex Terraplane Eight Series KT Convertible Coupe. It is the only known example equipped with the factory-available Wheel Option'C,' which included wire wheels and two spare wheels and tires, carried in the left and right front fender wells. This package was offered on all models except the Essex Terraplane Six - Standard Series cars for 1933.

In 1992, the Hostetlers purchased this vehicle from Albert Muller of Eidson, in Eastern Tennessee.

by Dan Vaughan

Sedan
Chassis number: 70073
Engine number: 20403

Hudson engineers built a lightweight eight-cylinder engine of 244 cubic inches in 1933, using parts sourced from existing vehicles and engines. The pistons were from the Terraplane Six and the crankshaft was from the eight-cylinder engine that Hudson had been building since 1930. The new engine was placed within the lightweight Terraplane chassis, resulting in impressive performance including setting a new record for the standing mile and kilometer; the flying mile, five miles, and 1.5km. Al Miller made history in June of 1933 by driving one to the top of New Hampshire's Mount Washington with the shifter wired into high gear. In Britain, the Terraplane Eight chassis became the basis of Noel Macklin's new Railton car.

For 1934, all Hudson products were given the Terraplane lightweight architecture. The small eight was no longer available and the larger 254 cubic-inch Hudson engine was reserved for the larger cars.

This particular Essex Terraplane Eight Model KT Sedan was given a 1,200-plus hour restoration, with its body painted blue with white pinstriping and black fenders. It has a chrome grille shell that is topped by a gryphon mascot. It rides on wire-spoke silver wheels and 6.50-17 blackwall tires. The spare is mounted at the rear under a full steel cover. The upholstery is pleated and buttoned grey cloth, and there is a 'Quick-Vision' instrument panel, which houses pioneering warning lights for oil pressure and generator. The rear seat is finished with a footrest bar, and there is a locking glove box.

Around the early 2000s, this 1933 Terraplane Eight joined the Merrick Auto Museum Collection.

by Dan Vaughan