1933 Essex Terraplane Deluxe Six Model KU Sedan
Amelia Earhart christened Hudson’s innovative newcomer by smashing a bottle of champagne on its hood at a Detroit dealer event on July 21, 1932.
“Land Flying, that’s what Terraplane is!” proclaimed the press releases, tapping into aviation themes popularized by Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 Atlantic crossing and Earhart’s own solo flight that May.
The name itself played on “aeroplane,” positioning this Depression-fighting automobile as something altogether different from ordinary transportation.
Lightweight construction defined the engineering philosophy. Hudson engineers focused on minimizing overall mass, pairing a relatively narrow track with a cruciform chassis design whose internal crossmembers featured large perforations.
The result was a curb weight just over 2,000 pounds (about 910 kg), several hundred pounds lighter than many contemporaries in its price class.
Advanced metallurgy played a key role, with Hudson employing thin-wall casting techniques earlier than most major manufacturers.
This allowed meaningful weight savings without compromising durability, a critical advantage during an era when fuel economy and performance both mattered to cost-conscious buyers.
The Model KU Deluxe Six debuted mid-year on a 113-inch wheelbase, replacing the original 106-inch Series K platform. Power came from a 193 cubic inch L-head inline-six producing 70 horsepower at 3,200 rpm.
The lightweight design gave this modest engine surprisingly lively acceleration, while buyers chose from three-speed manual transmissions.
Braking was handled by mechanical Bendix brakes at all four corners, considered state-of-the-art for the period. Combined with the car’s low mass, stopping performance compared favorably with larger and more expensive rivals.
Essex-Terraplanes sold nearly 40,000 units for 1933. Following that success, Hudson dropped the Essex name entirely, with subsequent models badged simply as Terraplanes through 1938.
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