Tag: Hudson
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More Studie trivia
1. It appears that Studebaker tried out hydraulic brakes in ’26, just two years after Chrysler started the trend. Hydraulic appeared as an option on the big President for one year, then disappeared. The company made the switch for sure in ’35, around the same time as everyone else. 2. The ’32 Hudson Terraplane adopted…
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Sell amortize, sell non-amortize
Nash was the greatest of all amortizers, so the exceptions to the rule stand out. Hudson had two unique inventions, the failsafe brake system in 1936 and the stepdown body in 1948. Nobody ever copied the failsafe brakes, which were the BEST SAFETY FEATURE before seatbelts. AMC continued installing the simple failsafe system on its…
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Hudson got there first
My latest coffeetable book mentions that Hudson had the first all-steel roof, beating GM to market by a month in late ’34. The ads on this page clarify how it was done. Hudson simply inserted a steel panel for the midsection instead of the wood and cloth that everyone but Pierce had been using all…
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Rebadging
Meandering on a meaningless topic. The automobile industry is unique in its nearly universal rejection of rebadging. Every other industry has anonymous manufacturers who turn out the same product with different labels for different stores. It’s especially dominant in appliances and packaged food. At first there were a FEW anonymous rebranders in autos. The more…
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Studie trivia
I bought a new coffeetable book about old cars, the Standard Catalog of Independents. These Standard Catalog books list fine details about all types and prices and options for all years, to the extent that the data was available. The details on Studebaker include some unfamiliar weirdness in the ’50s. Studie ran wild with names…
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Perpetual puzzle
This AMC dealer training strip proves that the Hudson fail-safe braking system was still being made in ’57, the last year of the brand. (Books and articles are vague and inconsistent on this fact.) I don’t expect any regard for safety from the big three, but AMC was actively SELLING this feature up to the…
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Ideal prospect
I’ve been consuming these old dealer training filmstrips (audio only) in my bedtime playlist lately. This was aimed at Rambler dealers in 1959. As it happens, I can check the realism of the advice. My parents bought a new Rambler in 1960. The car had an unsolvable intermittent ignition problem. Some days it wouldn’t start,…
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Scratched an itch
Bought Pat Foster’s book on the history of Hudson. He covers the founding decade from 1909 to 1919 in satisfying detail. The early part of the story isn’t mentioned in the usual magazines and websites. Most of the later years are familiar material, but this picture finally answers a question I’ve wondered about. Other sources…
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Adding a tech gene
Last year I mused on tech genes and epigenes. I’ve tacked on a new item that seems appropriate. = = = = = START REPRINT: I just finished pulling together the Morse prototype and the Endicott experiment into a single Poser set, released on ShareCG. Gathering up and debugging a set always stirs thoughts. The…
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Chrysler didn’t play
Another random automotive thought: Chrysler never played the sportster game. In 1952-1955 EVERYONE was introducing special distinct sporty roadsters. GM had Corvette, Fiesta, Skylark, Eldorado. Ford had T-bird and Continental. Absolutely all of the independents joined the trend. Nash Healey, Hudson Italia, Crosley Hotshot, Kaiser Darrin, Willys Jeepster, Packard Caribbean, Studie’s perfect coupe which quickly…
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Tech genes and epigenes
I just finished pulling together the Morse prototype and the Endicott experiment into a single Poser set, released on ShareCG. Gathering up and debugging a set always stirs thoughts. The obvious thought is that both are experimental setups featuring a sender and receiver and controller. Here’s a more random and disorganized thought. Technology and life…
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Sunroof mystery
One of the little mysteries of auto history is the soft spot in roofs. Metal shaping technology wasn’t up to the task of pressing out a complete rooftop without wrinkling and stretching the middle. GM finally perfected the ‘deep-draw press’ in 1935, and others soon copied. I’ve been puzzled by the continued use of crude…
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