“The New Hudson. Now You’re Face To Face With Tomorrow!” That’s how Hudson described their radically restyled car in 1948 that set the automotive industry on its ear. As an old marketing and advertising guy, I get a kick out of studying vintage automobile sales brochures and ads. You see a lot of flowery words, exclamation marks, and exaggerations. But in the case of the ’48 Hudson, there was truth in their claims. With their innovative “step down” design that gave the new Hudsons a low, sleek look that couldn’t be confused with any other car on the road, the postwar car hungry American consumers took notice. Hudson sales increased 25% in 1948 and with very minor changes made for model year 1949, increased another 35% to 159,100 units sold. Here’s one of those ’49 Hudsons that is a highly-original survivor and looks to be in remarkable condition for its age.

The seller is, shall we say, rather scant in describing the Hudson or giving us any information about its history. All that is written in the ad is: “1949 Hudson 4 door sedan that is all 100% original and in great condition. Has steel belted radial tires.” Since Hudsons didn’t leave the factory with steel belted radial tires, it’s not 100% original, but could still be in the “highly original survivor” category. The photos aren’t the best, but the exterior looks to be in very good condition. The paint appears to be a dark maroon and still shines up nicely. There are some chips under the driver’s side headlight, but overall it looks like a rust-free, straight body with no signs of accident damage. It has the popular windshield visor as well as a driver’s-side spotlight (which may or may not have been a Hudson option in ’49).

And check out that swoopy rear-end treatment with the wraparound bumper and triangular, shield-shaped taillights. Even with new styling introduced from the Big Three for the 1949 model year, there was truly nothing else that looked like a Hudson. Based on the photos, it appears the car’s chrome, glass, lenses, and trim are all in good shape as well.

The comfortable, roomy interior looks well preserved.  Even though low-slung Hudsons were only five feet tall, they advertised that their cars were “Wider inside as it is high! A full 66 inches of usable inside width.” and “has more headroom than you ever dreamed possible in a low car – a six-footer in a sombrero can set erect in the rear seat!” You gotta love those copywriters and their many exclamation marks.

Based on the photos, the tan broadcloth seats look good as do the cool door panels. I like the looks of that modern instrument panel with what Hudson called “two harmonizing shades of natural finish walnut grain” on it as well as the side window mouldings. I also like the 18″ plastic-trim deluxe steering wheel and old-school steering knob.

There are no photos or mention of the engine by the seller. Commodores could be ordered with either a 262-cubic inch inline-six or a 254-cubic inch inline 8-cylinder engine mated to a column shift manual transmission. The seller claims that 90,650 miles are on the clock. This ’49 Hudson is currently located in Castle Rock, Washington, and is for sale here on craigslist for $15,000. Thanks again for T.J. for finding this survivor and sending it our way. On the surface, this looks like quite a survivor, but the next owner will need to do their due diligence to verify it’s as original as advertised. A former boss of mine had a Hudson exactly like this and I’ll never forget my first ride in it. It was so smooth and low-slung and nothing like I’d ever experienced before (or since). I envy the lucky next owner.