Hudson Super Six

The Hudson Super Six refers to a series of six-cylinder - automobiles , the Hudson Motor Car Co. in Detroit produced in model years 1917-1928. In 1933 the model name was revived for a year. There was also a Super Six again in 1940 and 1942. Even after the Second World War , another model with this name was manufactured between 1946 and 1951. In the last year of production, the car was called the Hudson Super Custom Six .

1917-1928

Hudson Super Six Phaeton Series J (1917)

Hudson Super Six Phaeton Series M (1918)

The 1917 model year Super Six was introduced in January 1916, replacing the short-lived Six-40 and Six-54 , whose G-Series 1916 models were only produced from July to December 1915. This vehicle has rows - six-cylinder engine having 4,736 cc displacement (bore x stroke: 88.9 mm × 127 mm) and a power of 76 hp (56 kW) at 2450 / min. The engine power was passed on to a three-speed gearbox and then to the rear wheels via a cork- covered oil bath clutch . The mechanical brakes worked on the rear wheels.

The chassis had a wheelbase of 3,188 mm and could be equipped with various, mostly four-door bodies. But there was also a two-door convertible . The H (1916) and J (1917) series were replaced by the almost unchanged M series in 1918. The O-Series from 1919 and 1920 also showed no major changes. In 1921, the operation of the car was adapted to the schemes that are still common today: The accelerator pedal, which until then was between the clutch and brake pedal, moved to the familiar position on the far right. The middle circuit now worked according to the usual H scheme. From 1922 limousines from Biddle & Smart were also available in addition to the factory bodies . In 1924 the wheelbase was extended by 2 "to 3,239 mm. The car was built in this version until 1926. Biddle & Smart supplied more than half of the bodies that year.

It was not until 1927 that the design was thoroughly revised: the counter-steered engine delivered 92 bhp (67.7 kW) at 3,200 rpm with the same displacement. The wet multi-plate clutch was replaced by a single-plate dry clutch. There were two chassis with a wheelbase of 2,997 mm or 3,235 mm. The mechanical brakes worked on all four wheels. The new S series (short wheelbase) cars reached speeds of up to 100 mph (161 km / h). Barney Oldfield achieved an average speed of more than 120 km / h with a Hudson Super Six in the 1000 mile race in Culver City in 1927. Hudson now also ran its own body shop in Detroit and was less dependent on suppliers.

The O and S model series continued to be built in 1928, with the S with a slightly longer wheelbase of 3,010 mm. The cars sold well, but were somewhat outdated after almost 12 years without any major changes.

In the following year, the new Greater Hudson model replaced the Super Six, of which a total of 524,919 copies were made. 1925 was the best sales year with 109,840 units.

1933

Hudson has not produced any six-cylinder models under its own name since 1930. But the pacemaker was created at the Essex brand . In the 1933 model year , a variant with the Hudson emblem was also offered under the traditional name Super Six .

The E series car had an in-line six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 3,164 cm³ (bore × stroke: 74.6 mm × 120.7 mm), which made 73 bhp (54 kW) at 3,200 rpm. This engine was also optionally available with 80 bhp (59 kW) power. The chassis had a wheelbase of 2,870 mm and could be fitted with various bodies with two or four doors. Freewheel and adjustable steering column were standard equipment.

In 1934 Hudson only offered eight-cylinder models; It was not until 1935 that the Hudson Big Six became a six-cylinder model again.

1940-1951

In 1940 there was a Hudson Super Six again along with other six-cylinder cars, the Traveler Six and the DeLuxe Six .

The car still had an in-line six-cylinder engine with side-mounted valves, but now with a capacity of 3,474 cm³ (bore × stroke: 76.2 mm × 127 mm) and an output of 102 bhp (75 kW) at 4,000 rpm. The engine power was passed on to a three-speed gearbox (with steering wheel gearshift) and then to the rear wheels via a single-disc oil bath clutch. The hydraulic brakes acted on all four individually suspended wheels.

The only available chassis had a wheelbase of 2,997 mm. It was available with a wide variety of structures, mostly with two doors. But there was also a four-door sedan with 6 seats.

In the following year, all Hudson were completely redesigned: The wheelbase grew by 3 ″ to 3,073 mm and the bodies were 50 mm lower. The Commodore was created with a similar body . The model was built in this version until February 1942. After that, the production of cars was no longer possible due to the restrictions caused by the war.

Hudson Super Six Coupé Series 171 (1947)

Production resumed in 1946. The only change was a new grille. There were no changes in the following year either.

In 1948 a completely new, streamlined model with a flatter bonnet and a "step-down" design appeared. (You no longer got on the car, but got down, because the footwell was now let in between the side members.) The car had a 3 ″ longer wheelbase (3,150 mm) and covered rear wheel openings. This gave the impression of an upside-down bathtub. There was also a new engine, also an in-line six-cylinder with side-mounted valves, 4,293 cm³ displacement (bore × stroke: 90.5 mm × 111.1 mm), which made 121 bhp (89 kW) at 4,000 / min.

In 1950, the engine output was increased to 123 bhp (90.4 kW) and the model was otherwise built unchanged.

In 1951 all Hudson got a new grille with more chrome and a rounded shape. The wheelbase shrank by 1/8 ″ to 3,146 mm. All model names were given the addition "Custom"; so the Super Six ended its last year as a Super Custom Six .

In the following year, the Super Six was dropped in favor of the Hudson Commodore Six , which had been manufactured in parallel since 1941 .

swell

• Beverly R. Kimes (Ed.), Henry A. Clark: The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause Publications, 1985, ISBN 0-87341-045-9 .

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