Surveys in the ’50s showed Hudson customers were the most loyal of any brand. Hudson’s execs were also loyal and long-serving. Barit started just after the founding and became CEO in 1936, then stayed until the end in 1954.
Styling head Frank Spring also stuck around. Here’s a rare picture of him having a bit of fun with a special custom job done by the factory in 1932. Spring stayed until the end, though he was profoundly unhappy when his original Stylish and Speedy concept for the compact Jet was ruined by Barit’s attempt to copy GM styling. The result was boxy and out of character, looking like a compressed Olds instead of a Hudson. The Jet finished off the company.
In 1932 Hudson stretched and remodeled a limousine for Hearst columnist Arthur Brisbane. They installed a built-in dictaphone and cabinets to hold cylinders and papers, so Brisbane could dictate while he was riding in luxury. They charged $2100 for the conversion, on top of the base price of $1600. Total in today’s money about $75k, which is hardly enough for a good pickup truck now.
They could have charged Brisbane a lot more.** Per Wikipedia, Brisbane made $260k a year, and also had actual millions in 1930s money from real estate deals. Other columnists and humorists were in the $200k range. About 5 million today, the same amount we pay TV opinionators like Maddow and Olbermann and Hannity. Brisbane had the same habits as the moderns, often inciting riots and assassinations. He called for the assassination of McKinley, which happened soon afterward.
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** Packard and Cadillac were charging $5k to $10k for limos without special equipment. Hudson could have competed. Why didn’t they? I expect they were proud that Brisbane chose respectable mid-priced Hudson over the prestige brands. The advertising value of a celebrity USING the product is worth far more than a few thousand extra on the price. Still true now with Influencers.
Also in 1932, Duane Jones advised companies to hitch your wagon to a star. Hudson took him literally.
Polistra's Mill 