Hudson 1934 Terraplane Models

The Terraplane, introduced as a sub-series of Essex in 1932, had become a solid success. Selling more than 16,000 cars in six months, more than its parent Essex in the entire year, it was an unmistakable winner. For 1933, aided by a hot-performing eight-cylinder model, Terraplane sold more than 38,000 cars, to Hudson's 2401. Clearly, some new elixir was needed for the namesake make.

The Terraplane was more than a freshened Essex. The intent was a car to challenge Chevrolet and Ford in the $425-$600 range, whereas Essex was priced from $645 to $895, Pontiac and Dodge territory.

A price reduction of that magnitude demanded fundamental changes in the car. Chief engineer Stuart Baits began with the chassis frame. Instead of the traditional straight "ladder" design, he began with a tapered shape, narrow in front. The resulting structure was strong, yet flexible. To add rigidity, a cruciform center member was added, as well as a K-shaped front crossmember. The chassis was further lightened by "knockouts" punched in the cruciform and inner channels, and the whole assembly was bolted to the body at 23 points, forming a giant three-dimensional truss. Hudson called it the "unit construction princi¬ple," although it was not in the manner of modern unitary construction. It did, however, provide great strength with a minimum of material, further reduced by shortening the car seven inches and reducing the track dimension to 54.5 inches at the rear and just 51.5 inches in front. The resulting car saved more than 600 pounds over the 1932 Essex.

Other improvements included engine upgrades and a tiny new transmission that John R. Bond, the longtime publisher of Road & Track and an engineer in his own right, called "a masterpiece of min¬iaturization." It weighed but 35 pounds. "Pneu-mounting" of the engine with rubber mounts was conceptually similar to Chrysler's Floating Power but with two mounts in front and one aft.

If there was a fly in the Terraplane's ointment it was the car's narrow width, which was widely panned. As a result, the 1933 models were widened, and then, in a gesture toward the performance market, an eight-cylinder Terraplane was introduced, with acceleration rivaling that of the Ford V-8.