Auto fans know the 1948 Hudson for innovating the stepdown frame, with rear floor several inches below the frame members. Everyone copied the trick because everyone wanted Loooooow and Loooong.
Hudson stepped a more important dimension and nobody noticed or copied it.
Here’s the rear compartment in 1940, before the change:
The seat was contained between the wheel wells, with the outer armrests covering the intrusion. Even without the center armrest it looks cramped and crowded.
Here’s the stepdown rear compartment:
The seat was strictly in front of the wheels, so no intrusion at all. At 63 inches it was the widest seat in the industry. The effective width was even greater because the armrests, levers and ashtrays were recessed OUT into the doors, not intruding on your legs.
Hudson also made a more subtle change: instead of the “assist straps” on the C pillar, they gave passengers hard handles on the front seatback. Those loose cloth “assist straps” were worse than useless. When you really need a grip you need FIRMNESS.
