Hudson Motor Car Co. merged with Nash-Kelvinator in 1954 to form American Motors. This merger might not have taken place if it had not been for the lack of success of the 1953-54 Hudson Jet. Development of that car took away resources that could have been used elsewhere, and sales were lackluster. So to save themselves, Hudson agreed to merge with Nash. The seller has a 1954 Hudson Super Jet, which was restored several years ago and still looks great. Perhaps needing nothing more than a new home, the little car is available in Leicester, North Carolina, and here on Facebook Marketplace for $17,500.
The company wanted to field a compact car to compete against the Nash Rambler and Kaiser Henry J. The public was showing interest in these kinds of cars as the pent-up demand from post World War II had largely been satisfied. To develop the Jet, Judsen diverted its limited funds away from its existing product lines to cook up the Jet for a mid-1953 debut. The Jet looked a bit like a 1952 full-size Ford, only smaller, and had more creature comforts than the existing small car population. Hudson sold 21,000 Jets in 1953 and 14,000 more in 1954, and then they pulled the plug to hook up with Nash.
Jet and Super Jet models were offered, with the latter being the fancier of the two. Both used a 202 cubic inch inline 6, which was a rework of a 1930s design, and it produced 104 hp. A third model was added in 1954, the Jet-Liner with even more trim, but it didn’t catch on either. It makes you wonder if Hudson would have survived had they avoided the Jet and put the same $15 million toward updating their bread-and-butter cars.
The seller’s 1954 Super Jet looks great, though the use of dark photographs does the car no justice. Its claim to fame is having won first place in the Charlotte Auto Rama competition, but that was 17 years ago, and after the car had been restored. The odometer reflects 32,000 miles, with no claim as to its being authentic. We’re told the interior and paint are excellent, and that’s where the description ends. It may take a true Hudson fan to determine if this car is worth its asking price. Thanks for the tip, T.J.!
There are a lot of “what-ifs” with Hudson and the Independents in general. George Mason, CEO of Nash Motors, came up with the plan to acquire Hudson and form American Motors but also wanted to bring Studebaker and Packard into AMC, an idea that was shelved after Mason’s death. AMC limped along until 1988 but could that mega merger have saved any of the others for awhile? I see Jets for sale from time to time but rarely do they look as nice as the featured car. The asking price is a bit optimistic, I would think it will sell in the $13K -$14K range.
I agree with what Todd said. It reminded me of the old saying……”Hindsight is 20/20″. I have always wondered what could have happened with those mergers.
Its refreshing to see a 4 door Hudson so nicely restored. It would’ve been nice to see some brighter photos. If bought at the right price, you’d have a great way to get into the Old Car hobby.
Judsen messed with the design quite a bit – this car was supposed to have a much lower belt line – and have a much less bulbous look and sleeker look but Judsen insisted on having more headroom (these 50’s guys and there hats!) and what they got was a fat toddler Ford. Hudson was already doomed from a lack of developing a OHV V8 but this surely hastened the demise.
The resemblance to the 1952 Ford is no accident. Prominent Hudson dealer Jim Moran pushed for this look, over the objections of Hudson designer Frank Spring. The result was tall, narrow, and awkward from just about any angle. According to legend, the crease across the trunk lid represents the height of the rear deck of the original design.
These always reminded me of roughly a cross between a 7/8 scale `53 Ford and Olds (from the back). The greenhouse ruined it–too tall and out of proportion for the body. Had it survived a redesign for `55 it might’ve had a chance.
When this came out the compact car market was small, with too many players. The reasoning was why buy a small car when you could buy a full size Ford or Chevy for another couple hundred bucks. And Hudson had another problem. When they brought out the new stepdown design for ’48 it was a big hit. In ’54 they were still selling the same car, so what do you do for an encore? Kind of like AMC’s Pacer and the PT Cruiser, designs that were so unique almost no way to update them.
A Hudson Jet was my first car.My dad got it for me when I 15 and told me if I could it do run he would get me a real car. Well to make it short I had a lot of fun tearing it down and got it running.
An interesting vehicle!! Do not know on the price, but it will make someone an excellent entry into the classic car hobby.