economy Essex, the Terraplane only lasted 6 years.
The depression was not kind to any car manufacturer, and the Hudson Motor Car Company was no exception. Since 1919 they had produced an economy marque called Essex to go with their higher priced Hudson models. But the depression was killing even Essex sales, which is why they created the Terraplane in 1932. With lower production costs than the Essex, and a lower sales price, the Terraplane helped keep Hudson alive. But it was not to survive long itself. In 1938 Hudson management killed the economy Terraplane marque, so it only existed for 6 years. Pictured here is an elegant 1936 model, which is just a Terraplane. Only the early ones were branded as Essex Terraplanes. (file w104M3, #5369187)