When this film first appeared in 2006 it did not grab my interest, in fact I was slightly alienated by it because I thought that the subject of cars (automobiles) is far too serious, to me, to make fun of. Also our children had grown up so there was no need to take them to see it, as would have been the case some years earlier.
Then in 2011 ‘Cars’ was shown on TV and I watched it. Despite previous misgivings, I was captivated, I loved it! I was so taken by it that I started to do some research on the ‘Doc Hudson’ character.
Imagine my excitement when I discovered that his background as a ‘Race-car’ Champion was based upon fact – The fabulous Hudson Hornet, winner of both NASCAR and ARCA championships in the early 1950s. Further, I discovered what a rich and exalted marque the Hudson was.
I had known about the company but probably only in the context of it being one of the constituent parts of the American Motors Corporation formed in 1954.
This is going to be a relatively short post; it would be so easy for me to plagiarise other websites and list all the excellent ‘firsts’ that the Hudson Motor Company brought to the world of motoring. I am not going to do that but I will list some links to the websites that contain that information at the end of the post.
One interesting and personal fact that I do want to share with you is that I worked in Detroit for a draughting (American – drafting) ‘job shop’ doing work for Chevrolet. I worked on the ’71 Impala.
Occasionally I used to visit Downtown Detroit (English – City Centre) and the Hudson store in particular.
It is only as a result of researching the Hudson Motor Company’s history, for this post, that I found out that it was the founder of that Hudson store, Joseph L. Hudson, who provided capital and his name, to the Hudson Motor Company.
Serendipity or what?
I also found out that Hudson had an assembly plant at Chiswick, to the west of London. This is referred to below. I hope to undertake further research on Hudson’s U.K. presence.
I wanted to find out more about the Hudson Motor Company’s presence in the U.K.:
I undertook, what I thought was, some extensive ‘Google’ searches and made email contact with people who might have knowledge of the subject, all without success.
Until today (06 March 2014) that is. Having given up my search for a few weeks, feeling utterly frustrated, today I tried ‘Google’ one more time.
My feeling about ‘Google’ and other search engines, is, that just because you do not find what you are looking for it doesn’t mean that the information doesn’t exist; it is more likely to mean that the words you are using for your search, however logical they may seem to you, do not represent the key to the treasure chest that you are seeking.
In my case I was using names such as Hudson, Essex, Terraplane and U.K..
Today I put “motor clubs catering for Hudson and Essex cars in the U.K.” into the search box and came up with the ‘Railton.org’ website. Unless you are very knowledgeable about the history of the U.K. motor industry it would not be obvious as to why a ‘Railton’ website would throw any light on Hudson Motor Company’s presence in the U.K.
To find the answer to that question you will need to click on the ‘Railton’ link at the end of this post.
I found the information totally fascinating, I hope you do too.
Just to recap, the purpose of this post is not to provide a ‘blow by blow’ history of the wonderful Hudson Motor Company. Its purpose is to bring the existence of this company to your attention if you hadn’t heard of it before and to encourage you to read more about the company by visiting the links shown at the end of this post.
Here are some photos which I hope will further stimulate your interest : –
‘Doc Hudson’ Character from Pixar’s ‘Cars’ Movie |
Hudson Motor Car Company Factory Detroit Mi. |
Part of the old Aerocar/Hudson factory still standing (or it was in 2012)
on the corner of Mack Avenue and Beaufait Street old Detroit Mi.
Photo courtesy of www.macsmotorcitygarage.com
Hudson’s Detroit Store – Vintage Linen Post Card
|
Hudson Logo |
1909 Hudson 20 Runabout |
Hudson Terraplane model – 1936 |
Hudson Essex Motor Works
supplied by Janet McNamara of Brentford & Chiswick Local HistorySociety
This story gets richer and richer. Did you know that…….
More Pixar – ‘Sally Carrera’ –
Links –
14 February 2019 – It’s St. Valentine’s day and I have just fallen in love with this article I have read on ‘Hemmings Daily’. I think that you will too –
03 February 2021 – Jay Leno’s Garage Hudson Hornet –
If you want to find out more about the great Hudson Motor Company then I recommend this link – http://histomobile.com/history.php?id=88483
If you are in the U.S. and you would like to see a comprehensive collection of Hudson Cars or you want to see them on the internet go to this link – http://www.hostetlershudsons.com/
Here is another story about an American Car Manufacturer with an assembly plant in London, England –
Nick
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