Hudson Greater Eight
Encyclopedia
The Hudson Greater Eight was a premium
line of automobile
s produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company
of Detroit, Michigan during 1931 and 1932.
, developed a reputation and success in the automobile marketplace by building solid cars with good performance for the money and fine reliability. The introduction of the Essex
Six in 1924, targeting budget minded buyers, increased the combined sales of Hudson Motors from seventh to third place in the U.S. automobile market by 1925. Production of Hudson and Essex cars continued to hold third place for 1927, fourth place in 1928, and returned to capture third in 1929 with a total of 300,962 units.
The automaker decided to move upmarket and in 1930, launched a line of cars called Great Eight. Hudson Eights were "often luxurious, and usually smooth, effortless performers" powered by a new for 1930 straight-eight engine that would be produced through 1952. Total production in 1930 for Hudson Motors fell by almost 40% to 113,898 units.
For 1931, the automaker renamed the line to "Hudson Greater Eight" – implying that the new models "were even better than" the previous year because of additional engineering and styling advances. Production declined even further dropping Hudson from the top 8 brands in the U.S.
Hudson hired its first professional designer in early 1931, Frank S. Spring, with the title of "engineering stylist". His work was first incorporated on the 1932 model year Hudsons, but he became best known for his contributions to the 1948-1954 "Step-Down" design (third-generation Hudson Commodore
s and first-generation Hudson Hornet
s) and remained with the company until its merger with Nash
, forming American Motors Corporation
(AMC) in 1954.
riding on solid front and rear axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs and four-wheel mechanical brakes. Power for the 1931 models was supplied by a 233.7 CID cast iron
L-head
inline eight-cylinder (I8) engine producing 87 bhp mated to a three-speed sliding gear manual transmission
.
The Greater Eight received Hudson's first attempts at having a softer, less rigid styling. The Greater Eight offered a number of stylish features including a fine mesh grille-work that set it apart from other contemporary marques. It came with full instrumentation.
Hudson made only a few boat-tailed roadster models. The bodies were built by Murray and even though the style never made the sales literature, a 1931 Hudson Greater Eight boat-tailed roadster was built making it the one and only time this style appeared on a Hudson chassis. image of front image of rear
Even with their larger engines and lower prices than the 1930 models, sales during the Great Depression in the United States
were down from the previous year. Sales of the Greater Eight totaled 22,250 for 1931.
styling, including a greater slope of the windshield. Hudson's engineering stylist, Frank S. Spring, made the fenders more graceful and gave the car's body gentler curves. The 1932 models featured a prominent Vee'd grille
with vertical chrome theme. The cars were recognizable by their uniquely styled rounded-triangle shaped headlights and parking lights, which mimicked the shape of Hudson's triangle logo. The triangle theme was also repeated in the interior, including the driver's floor pedals.
The new design also received mechanical upgrades including 30% larger brakes than those on the previous models. The I8 engine was also increased to 254 CID and produced 101 bhp. Options included a freewheel
ing clutch to disengage the driveline
, as well as a selective-control automatic clutch.
Economic conditions were not improving and sales for 1932 totaled less than 8,000 Greater Eights, despite prices remaining the same and the addition of two "lush" new series to the product offer: the Sterling (Series U on a 126 inches (3,200 mm) chassis and the Major (Series L with a 132 inches (3,353 mm) wheelbase). Total production for both Hudson and Essex moved up to 57,550 during the lowest point for the U.S. automotive industry during the Great Depression.
and five luxurious Major series models built on a 132 inches (3,353 mm) platform
. The line was renamed the Hudson Pacemaker Standard Eight.
By this time, the company was struggling because of low sales and mounting financial losses. In May 1933, Roy D. Chapin returned to Hudson after serving as the United States Secretary of Commerce
during the last months of President Herbert Hoover
's administration and spent his final three years of life trying to save the automaker from the effects of the Great Depression. Hudson had fared poorly during the Great Depression (1929-36) compared with other domestic automakers with its rank falling back from third to eight in terms of production.
During the 1930s, automobile production by the Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) increased, while all the other domestic automakers were damaged and saw their total market share drop from 25% in 1929 to 10% by 1939. with many of the premium-type brands disappearing, such as Cord
, Durant
, Franklin
, Peerless
, Pierce-Arrow
, and Stutz
.
Luxury good
Luxury goods are products and services that are not considered essential and associated with affluence.The concept of luxury has been present in various forms since the beginning of civilization. Its role was just as important in ancient western and eastern empires as it is in modern societies...
line of automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company
Hudson Motor Car Company
The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, from 1909 to 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors. The Hudson name was continued through the 1957 model year, after which it was dropped.- Company strategy...
of Detroit, Michigan during 1931 and 1932.
History
The Hudson Motor Car Company, headed by Roy D. ChapinRoy D. Chapin
Roy Dikeman Chapin was an American industrialist and automaker. He also served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from August 8, 1932, to March 3, 1933, in the last months of the administration of President Herbert Hoover.Chapin was born in 1880 in Lansing, Michigan, and attended the...
, developed a reputation and success in the automobile marketplace by building solid cars with good performance for the money and fine reliability. The introduction of the Essex
Essex (automobile)
The Essex was a brand of automobile produced by the Essex Motor Company from 1918–1922 and Hudson Motor Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1922 and 1932.-Corporate strategy:...
Six in 1924, targeting budget minded buyers, increased the combined sales of Hudson Motors from seventh to third place in the U.S. automobile market by 1925. Production of Hudson and Essex cars continued to hold third place for 1927, fourth place in 1928, and returned to capture third in 1929 with a total of 300,962 units.
The automaker decided to move upmarket and in 1930, launched a line of cars called Great Eight. Hudson Eights were "often luxurious, and usually smooth, effortless performers" powered by a new for 1930 straight-eight engine that would be produced through 1952. Total production in 1930 for Hudson Motors fell by almost 40% to 113,898 units.
For 1931, the automaker renamed the line to "Hudson Greater Eight" – implying that the new models "were even better than" the previous year because of additional engineering and styling advances. Production declined even further dropping Hudson from the top 8 brands in the U.S.
Hudson hired its first professional designer in early 1931, Frank S. Spring, with the title of "engineering stylist". His work was first incorporated on the 1932 model year Hudsons, but he became best known for his contributions to the 1948-1954 "Step-Down" design (third-generation Hudson Commodore
Hudson Commodore
The Hudson Commodore was an automobile produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1941 and 1952. During its time in production, the Commodore model represented the largest and most luxurious Hudson model.- 1941 :...
s and first-generation Hudson Hornet
Hudson Hornet
The Hudson Hornet is an automobile that was produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1951 and 1954. The Hornet was also built by American Motors Corporation in Kenosha, Wisconsin and marketed under the Hudson brand between 1955 and 1957.The first-generation Hudson...
s) and remained with the company until its merger with Nash
Nash Motors
Also see: Kelvinator and American Motors CorporationNash Motors was an automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the United States from 1916 to 1938. From 1938 to 1954, Nash was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation...
, forming American Motors Corporation
American Motors
American Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...
(AMC) in 1954.
1931
The Greater Eight models were built on Hudson's 119 inches (3,023 mm) wheelbase "T-Series" chassisChassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
riding on solid front and rear axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs and four-wheel mechanical brakes. Power for the 1931 models was supplied by a 233.7 CID cast iron
L-head
Flathead engine
A flathead engine is an internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head, as in an overhead valve engine...
inline eight-cylinder (I8) engine producing 87 bhp mated to a three-speed sliding gear manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
.
The Greater Eight received Hudson's first attempts at having a softer, less rigid styling. The Greater Eight offered a number of stylish features including a fine mesh grille-work that set it apart from other contemporary marques. It came with full instrumentation.
Hudson made only a few boat-tailed roadster models. The bodies were built by Murray and even though the style never made the sales literature, a 1931 Hudson Greater Eight boat-tailed roadster was built making it the one and only time this style appeared on a Hudson chassis. image of front image of rear
Even with their larger engines and lower prices than the 1930 models, sales during the Great Depression in the United States
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
were down from the previous year. Sales of the Greater Eight totaled 22,250 for 1931.
1932
For 1932, the Greater Eights received new, more streamlinedStreamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
styling, including a greater slope of the windshield. Hudson's engineering stylist, Frank S. Spring, made the fenders more graceful and gave the car's body gentler curves. The 1932 models featured a prominent Vee'd grille
Grille
A grille or grill is an opening of several slits side by side in a wall or metal sheet or other barrier, usually to let air or water enter and/or leave but keep larger objects including people and animals in or out.-Spelling:In the United States, "grille" is used to differentiate the automotive...
with vertical chrome theme. The cars were recognizable by their uniquely styled rounded-triangle shaped headlights and parking lights, which mimicked the shape of Hudson's triangle logo. The triangle theme was also repeated in the interior, including the driver's floor pedals.
The new design also received mechanical upgrades including 30% larger brakes than those on the previous models. The I8 engine was also increased to 254 CID and produced 101 bhp. Options included a freewheel
Freewheel
thumb|Freewheel mechanismIn mechanical or automotive engineering, a freewheel or overrunning clutch is a device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft...
ing clutch to disengage the driveline
Powertrain
In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission, drive shafts, differentials, and the final drive...
, as well as a selective-control automatic clutch.
Economic conditions were not improving and sales for 1932 totaled less than 8,000 Greater Eights, despite prices remaining the same and the addition of two "lush" new series to the product offer: the Sterling (Series U on a 126 inches (3,200 mm) chassis and the Major (Series L with a 132 inches (3,353 mm) wheelbase). Total production for both Hudson and Essex moved up to 57,550 during the lowest point for the U.S. automotive industry during the Great Depression.
Epilogue
For 1933, the Hudson Eights were four "standard" models riding on a 119-inch wheelbaseWheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
and five luxurious Major series models built on a 132 inches (3,353 mm) platform
Automobile platform
An automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...
. The line was renamed the Hudson Pacemaker Standard Eight.
By this time, the company was struggling because of low sales and mounting financial losses. In May 1933, Roy D. Chapin returned to Hudson after serving as the United States Secretary of Commerce
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...
during the last months of President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
's administration and spent his final three years of life trying to save the automaker from the effects of the Great Depression. Hudson had fared poorly during the Great Depression (1929-36) compared with other domestic automakers with its rank falling back from third to eight in terms of production.
During the 1930s, automobile production by the Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) increased, while all the other domestic automakers were damaged and saw their total market share drop from 25% in 1929 to 10% by 1939. with many of the premium-type brands disappearing, such as Cord
Cord Automobile
Cord was the brand name of a United States automobile, manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company from 1929 through 1932 and again in 1936 and 1937....
, Durant
Durant (automobile)
The Durant was a make of automobile assembled by Durant Motors Corporation of New York City, New York from 1921 to 1926 and again from 1928 to 1932. Durant Motors was founded by William "Billy" Durant after he was terminated as the head of General Motors...
, Franklin
Franklin (automobile)
The Franklin Automobile Company was a manufacturer of automobiles in the United States between 1902 and 1934 in Syracuse, New York. Herbert H. Franklin, the founder, began his career in the metal die casting business before establishing his automobile enterprise.Franklin founded the H. H. Franklin...
, Peerless
Peerless
Peerless was a United States automobile produced by the Peerless Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio from 1900 to 1931. The company was known for building high-quality, precision luxury automobiles. Peerless' factory was located at 9400 Quincy Avenue in Cleveland...
, Pierce-Arrow
Pierce-Arrow
Pierce-Arrow was an American automobile manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901-1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks, fire trucks, camp trailers, motorcycles, and bicycles.-Early history:The forerunner...
, and Stutz
Stutz Motor Company
The Stutz Motor Company was a producer of luxury cars based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Production began in 1911 and continued through 1935. The marque reappeared in 1968 under the aegis of Stutz Motor Car of America, Inc., and with a newly defined modern retro-look. Although the company is...
.