Frequently Asked Questions about Classic Essex

Who made Essex cars and where were they built?

Essex cars were made in Detroit, Michigan, by the Hudson Motor Car Company, which introduced the line for 1919 as a lower-priced companion to its own cars. They were first built by a separate Essex company controlled by Hudson, in a leased former Studebaker factory. Sources date that company's formation to 1917 or 1918. Hudson president Roy D. Chapin was behind it, and it was merged into Hudson in 1922.

Where did the Essex car name come from?

The Essex name was borrowed from Essex in England. According to historian Henry Austin Clark, as cited by Old Motors, Hudson management looked at a map of the United Kingdom and chose the name for snob appeal. Conceptcarz likewise records that the name was apparently picked at random from a map of England.

What engine did the first Essex cars have?

The first Essex cars used an F-head four-cylinder engine of 179 cubic inches rated at 55 horsepower. Essex promoted it with endurance demonstrations, and in 1919 one car covered 3,037.4 miles in 50 hours at Cincinnati. An L-head six began to replace the F-head four in 1924.

What was the Essex Coach?

The Essex Coach was a two-door closed car introduced for 1922 at a price close to that of an open car. It was launched at $1,495, $300 more than the Essex touring model, at a time when buyers chose open cars mainly because they were cheaper. Sources put the point at which the coach undercut the touring car at 1924 or 1925. The Henry Ford museum says buyers snapped it up.

When did Essex switch from four cylinders to six?

Essex switched to six-cylinder power in 1924, when an L-head inline six of 130 cubic inches took over from the F-head four. Old Motors notes that the four was still offered alongside the new six into 1925, and another history says the four-cylinder cars were gone by then. The 1924 Essex Coach in The Henry Ford's collection has the 130 cubic inch six.

What is an Essex Super Six?

The Essex Super Six was the six-cylinder Essex sold from the late 1920s into the early 1930s, using a name borrowed from parent company Hudson's own Super Six. Most histories date the Essex use of the name to 1927, though some apply it to the six-cylinder cars from 1924. The engine was an L-head inline six, and 1927 also brought the boattail Speedabout body style.

How popular was the Essex in the 1920s?

Essex sold well enough to lift Hudson into the top three American carmakers. Essex outsold its parent Hudson in its first years, and combined Hudson and Essex sales ranked third in the United States by 1925. In 1929 the two lines together reached a peak of 300,000 cars, which placed Hudson third among American manufacturers behind Ford and Chevrolet.

When did Hudson stop making the Essex?

Hudson phased out the Essex name between 1932 and 1934. With Essex sales falling during the Depression, Hudson launched a new low-priced car called the Essex-Terraplane on July 21, 1932, with aviator Amelia Earhart at the introduction. It was sold as the Essex-Terraplane for 1932 and 1933, and for 1934 the Essex name was dropped and the car became the Terraplane. A few sources date the change to 1933.