The name 'Hudson' came from Joseph L.

Hudson, a Detroit department store entrepreneur and founder of Hudson's department store, who provided the necessary capital and gave permission for the company to be named after him.

A total of eight Detroit businessmen formed the company on February 20, 1909,to produce a car which would sell for less than $1,000.

Production followed quickly with the first car being driven out of the small factory in Detroit on July 3, 1909.

The new Hudson 'Twenty' was one of the first low-priced cars on the American market and very successful with more than 4,000 sold during the first year.

The company had a number of firsts including dual brakes, the use of dashboard oil-pressure and generator warning lights and the first balanced crankshaft which allowed the Hudson straight-six engine, dubbed the 'Super Six', to work at a higher rotational speed while remaining smooth and developing more power for its size than lower-speed engines.

In 1919, Hudson introdu...