Hudson

Hudson Motor Car Company was founded in Detroit in 1909 by a group of automotive entrepreneurs including Roy D. Chapin and with financial backing from department store owner Joseph L. Hudson. The company quickly gained a reputation for durable, performance-oriented cars (notably the "Super Six") and for engineering innovations such as balanced crankshafts and unitized body construction in later years. Hudson remained independent through the 1930s and early 1940s but, facing postwar market pressures, merged with Nash-Kelvinator in 1954 to form American Motors Corporation; the Hudson marque was discontinued after the 1957 model year. The brand is remembered today for its early engineering achievements and distinctive prewar and early-1950s designs.