About this vehicle

By 1920 most car manufacturers offered a closed sedan to provide a comfortable environment for cold weather motoring. Upper mid-priced manufacturers like Hudson strove to join the “luxury” brands. They did this by providing closed cars having fine interiors and elegant style. Hudson worked closely with the custom body maker Biddle and Smart of Amesbury, MA to offer a line of custom and semi-custom bodies for their excellent chassis. 

In the early days of the automobile industry, closed cars were unpopular. This was due to their higher costs and a fear of being trapped inside the car after an accident. As the industry developed, cars became more reliable, and owners began to demand cars that could be used year-round. Mass production allowed lower priced manufacturers to offer comfortable closed cars at reasonable prices. Gradually the closed models came to represent most of the vehicle production.  

The Elliott’s Hudson is built on the firm’s excellent “Super Six” chassis. The car carries a custom limousine body by Biddle and Smart. It has nickel silver trim with custom carriage lamps on the cowl. There are two spare tires mounted on the left front fender. There is a luggage rack on the roof. The chauffeur’s compartment is upholstered in black leather. The car has a roll-down division window separating the front and rear compartments. The rear compartment is upholstered in the finest English wool, with wool carpeting. The windows are trimmed in walnut.  Other amenities include a heater, silk privacy shades for the passenger compartment windows, an intercom system, reading lamps, and two built in vanity sets.   

This car was built for and originally owned by Enrico Caruso, the famous Metropolitan Opera tenor.

This car was donated to the Elliott Museum in 2004 by the Don Hudson Foundation.

Specifications:

• Engine: One-cylinder gasoline power, water cooled, 95 cubic inch (1,560 cc)
• Horsepower: 7
• Transmission: Two-speed planetary
• Original price: $650.00