The Hudson Motor Car Company produced its first car in July of 1909. The company was started by J. L. Hudson, the founder of Hudson’s department store, who provided the capital and gave permission for the car to be named after him. In early 1909 8 Detroit businessmen formed the company to build a car that would sell for under $l,000. 1909 sales were over 4,000 and up to that time the most ever sold by any carmaker in its first year of production. Over its lifetime the Hudson had a number of other firsts. Among them were dual brakes and dashboard warning lights for the oil pressure and generator. Likely the first that contributed the most was the balanced crankshaft, which allowed the engine to rev higher giving it more horsepower than similar size engines, as well as being smoother. This is most likely why their 6 cylinder was so successful even racing against the V-8’s. They couldn’t afford to develop a V-8 so all the research and development money for engines was spent to make the inline 6 equal to and many times superior to the V-8s it raced against. The Hudson Motor Car Company peaked in 1929 when it produced 300,000 cars and was the 3rd largest U.S. car maker that year behind Ford and Chevrolet. It was always billed as a family car even after they got into racing in 1951. In 1936 the company did a lot of revamping to make it even more appealing as a family car. The suspension was completely redone giving it a smoother safer ride. They also claimed the largest interior and luggage space of any popular car.The 1936 engines were also powerful for their time with the horsepower ranging from 93 horsepower up to 124 horsepower in the 8 cylinder that had been introduced in 1932 and discontinued in the early 1950’s. Very few Hudson’s were sold with the 8 cylinder due to the popularity of the 6 cylinder. In 1948 Hudson came out with their «step-down» which lasted through the 1954 model year. This made the car even safer with greater passenger comfort but most importantly to the racing fame that would come shortly, it gave it a lower center of gravity with better handling and a lower profile. Although air flow was not as important then as it is now, I’m sure that was another of the factors that made the Hudson Hornet such a winning car at NASCAR. In 1949 Oldsmobile had come out with its V-8 with 303 CI’s and 135HP and dominated NASCAR stock car racing in 1949 and 1950. As a side note back then the cars were really stock cars just as they could be bought from the show Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society