Patrick R. Foster’s Hudson Automobiles: An Illustrated History lives up to its title. If you are mainly interested in pictures, this is your book. The 128-page paperback is dominated by photographs, artist sketches and advertising, often in color.
Not that this is merely a picture book with captions. Foster wrote a concise but useful overview of the Hudson brand. However, don’t look here for anywhere near the level of analysis in Richard M. Langworth’s Hudson 1946-1957: The Classic Postwar Years (1977). Although I have questioned some of his assumptions, Langworth’s book is still by far the best Hudson history.
Foster’s writing style in Hudson Automobiles is less formal than in his larger books. That can result in some real bloopers. For example, he asked of a marketing photo, “Wonderful Wasps and busty babes — does life get any better than this?” (p. 102). Uh, what century are you living in, Patrick?
Could the Hudson still be around today?
Foster did a decent job of summarizing Hudson’s history but steered clear of much analysis. Given his fanboi rhetoric, that may have been just as well. For example, a caption for a picture of a proposed Rambler-based Hudson stated, “Had this car been produced the Hudson brand likely would have had a longer life span; possibly even to today” (p. 123).
Well, it is empirically true that the Hudson would have had a longer life span if it had been continued on the Rambler body. However, in light of the Ambassador’s low sales in the late-50s and early-60s, it was likely that Hudson’s days were numbered — particularly if it had to compete with similar Nash Ambassador models.
Also see ‘AMC: The Rise and Fall of America’s Last Independent Automaker’
It would be interesting to hear his explanation for why Hudson had a snowball’s chance of being alive when the book was published in 2010. In the absence of that, Foster sounds like he was patronizing diehard Hudson (or, perhaps more accurately, “Hash”) fans with hopelessly unrealistic “what ifs.”
Was the 1957 Hudson ‘very handsome?’
Another example of Foster’s boosterism is when he opined that the 1957 Hudson Hornet’s styling “has held up very well and is still a very handsome automobile” (p. 121). Tell that to Paul Niedermeyer (2013), who quite rightly said of the Hornet’s 1956 facelift, which was carried over for 1957: “AMC probably wanted to hasten the Hudson’s demise by giving it a truly wretched re-hash.” He went on to describe the stretched-mouth grille as looking like the Joker character in a Batman movie.
To be fair, elsewhere in Hudson Automobiles Foster acknowledged that the 1956 redesign “went overboard” (p. 96). And, unlike Niedermeyer, Foster correctly attributed Richard Arbib as the instigator of what was dubbed “V-Line Styling” — although, unlike George L. Hamlin (1992), Foster hedged his bets by stating that AMC “reportedly” contracted with the independent designer (p. 96).
All in all, Hudson Automobiles is a useful addendum to Langworth’s book. However, Foster might want to consider publishing a second edition that refines his narrative.
Hudson Automobiles: An Illustrated History
- Patrick R. Foster; 2010
- Iconografix, Hudson, WI
“The auto industry reported a great year in 1928, with record output and strong profits. Shipments of 52,316 Hudson and 229,887 Essex were recorded; the 282,203 total units was an exceptional achievement.” (p. 23)
“The new Jet was certainly a good car — like all Hudson cars it was well-engineered and solidly built. But like all Hudsons it was overbuilt. The Jet was sturdier and heavier than it needed to be and because of that it was more expensive than it should have been.” (pp. 67-68)
“Despite the completely redesigned line-up with more power and lower prices on many models Hudson production fell in 1956. Only 10,671 senior Hudsons were produced, along with 20,496 Ramblers. The problem wasn’t solely with the Hudson dealers; industry sales took a big tumble that year, dropping more than 25 percent.” (p. 99)
OTHER REVIEWS:
RE:SOURCES
- Hamlin, George L.; 1992. “Richard Arbib: Specialty Designer.” Collectible Automobile. October, pp. 41-45.
- Langworth, Richard M.; 1993. Hudson 1946-1957: The Classic Postwar Years. Motorbooks International, Osceola, WI.
- Niedermeyer, Paul; 2013. “Curbside Classic: 1956 Hudson Hornet — Waiting For Death In a Borrowed Four-Tone Suit.” Curbside Classic. Posted Oct. 31; accessed Dec. 15.
This is an expanded version of a mini-review originally posted April 30, 2013.
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