Hudson’s “step-down” cars of 1948 marked an exciting new direction for the company, as customers literally stepped down into the cabin of a sleek and futuristic-looking, slab-sided body that rode lower to the ground than any competitor.

This innovative unibody construction featured a partially unitary design that lowered the floor pan to the bottom of the frame.

In a radical departure from other contemporary chassis designs, the Hudson’s frame rails passed outboard of the rear wheels, thereby producing a tank-like structure that enveloped passengers and lowered the center of gravity, which aided safety and performance alike, as NASCAR racers would soon discover.

This marked the first time that an American-made production automobile used step-down engineering, and today these Hudson models are revered for their class-leading handling, comfort, safety, and torpedo-like styling.

Also new for 1948 was a 262 cubic-inch pressure-lubricated inline six-cylinder engine rated at 119 horsepow...