Roy and Helen Gillespie.

In 1926 Essex marketed a line of Touring cars (open four door cars with canvas tops), which was the most popular body style of cars in production at the time. The 1926 Essex tourer were designed to be a moderately priced competitive car which would be affordable to the average American family and could be utilized for numerous activities.

Due to its versatile technical innovations the 1926 Essex tourer was welcomed by the contemporary design enthusiasts and enjoyed sustained commercial success.

The Essex, manufactured as the low priced companion to the Hudson production line, was marketed with the intention of competing against the Ford and Chevrolet’s low priced vehicles. Some of the technical manufacturer specifications associated with the 1926 Essex tourer includes:

Light Six cylinder engine

Bore x Stroke – 2-11/16 x 4-1/4

Displacement of 144.6″

Wheel base of 110½”

Generators – “Delco 1067″/”Auto-Lite GAA-4001”

Distributors – T-6200/Auto-Lite IB-4001

Ignition Coils – American Bosch TC-30

Fuel System – Stewart 25

1926 was a memorable landmark year for Hudson Motor Company, with its sells surpassing the 100000 mark. The company enjoyed admirable success in the next couple of years and become the 3rd largest automobile manufacturer after Ford and General Motors. It entered the Depression in good shape, and although sales fell sharply from 1929 to 1934, the company survived a time when many others didn’t.