1947 Hudson Cars Described

1947 HUDSON CARS DESCRIBED

1947 HUDSON - GENERAL: Hudsons were only slightly changed for 1947 as the company was invested in a new, sleek 1948 model. The changes were in minor trim only and in some optional equipment.

1947 HUDSON SUPER: SERIES 171 SIX and SERIES 173 EIGHT. Minor styling changes and equipment revisions were all that took place on 1947 Hudsons, as tooling was solidly in place for the upcoming all-new 1948 cars. Plastic trunk emblems were replaced with bright metal and the Hudson corporate logo emblem, centered in the upper grille bar, was slightly enlarged. Standard features for Supers included diagonal check Boucle upholstery, single adjustable hinged sun visor, 30-hour windup clock, wood grained window finish moldings, black rubber front floor covering, carryall luggage compartment with vertically housed spare tire, felt trunk mats, cord robe hangers in sedans, new hood side ornaments, 17 inch steering wheel, latch type front ventipanes, twin standard tail lamps, sliding-pane rear quarter glass in sedans and stationary rear quarter glass in club coupes.

1947 HUDSON COMMODORE: SERIES 172 SIX and SERIES 174 EIGHT. All basic features and Super Series equipment were standard on Commodores, along with herringbone weave upholstery, electric clock, air foam seat cushions, rear seat center arm rest in sedans, cigarette lighter, chrome window finish moldings, instrument dial dimmer, carpet insert rubber front floor mats, rubber trunk mat, leather robe hangers in sedans, side window reveal moldings, rear window bars, auxiliary belt moldings, new hood-top ornament with plastic crest, hood-side ornaments, bumper bar wing extensions for front and rear. Also included were 18-inch DeLuxe steering wheel with horn ring, crank type ventipanes, carryover window glass construction, DeLuxe type twin tail lamps and front fender parking lamps. Commodores also used the new, chrome trunk medallion and heavier molding around the front grille top medallion. They again came standard with 6.50 x 15 tires and large hub caps, which were optional equipment on Supers.

MODEL/ENGINE I.D. DATA:  Super serial numbers. Super Sixes were numbered 171101 to 17195100. Super Eights were numbered 173101 to 17394992.  Commodore serial numbers. Commodore Sixes were numbered 172101 to 17295099, Commodore Eights were numbered 174101 to 17495088. Serial numbers were on the right door post. Hudson did not provide body code numbers. In the production chart. The first three symbols were comprised of the new series/model codes, followed by a group of numbers beginning at 101. The first two symbols were "17" in 1947, with the third symbol signifying the model: "171" = Super Six; "173" = Super Eight; "172" = Commodore Six; and "174" Commodore Eight. The following group of symbols designated production sequence. Engine numbers were the same and were found on a boss near the top left side of the cylinder block and also between the first two manifold flanges.

BODY PAINT CODE/COLORS: Paint Code names changed during the model run, however the paint codes themselves did not.  B Bar Harbor Blue  B Belvidere Blue  C Copper Red  C Royal Red  G Gunmetal  H Harvest Tan  J Jamestown Blue  J Jefferson Blue  M Majestic Maroon  P Palace Green  P Peasant Green  Q Quaker Gray  R Nepal Ivory  S Saxon Green  S Sherwood Green

HUDSON ENGINES:

 Super and Commodore Series Six: Inline L-head six-cylinder. Chrome alloy block. Displacement: 212 CID. Bore and stroke: 3.00" x 5.00". Compression ratio: 6.5:1. Horsepower: 102 @ 4000 RPM. Torque: 168 @ 1200 RPM. Three main bearings. Solid valve lifters. Carburetor: Carter two-barrel WDO type Model 501S.

 Super and Commodore Series Eight: Inline L-head eight-cylinder. Chrome alloy block. Displacement: 254 CID. Bore and stroke: 3.00" x 4.50" inches. Compression ratio: 6.5:1. Brake horsepower: 128 at 4200 RPM. Torque: 193 @ 1600 RPM Five main bearings. Solid valve lifters. Carburetor: Carter two-barrel WDO type Model 502S.

CHASSIS:  Wheelbase: (all): 121.0".  Overall length: (all) 207.375".  Front tread: (all): 56.3125".  Rear tread: (all) 59.50".  Tires: (Super) 6.00 x 16; (Commodore) 6.50 x 15.

Continued –

POWERTRAIN OPTIONS:  Vacumotive Drive ($40).  Drive-Master, including Vacumotive Drive ($98).  Oil bath air cleaner ($3).  Power Dome with eight-cylinder engine ($10).  Overdrive transmission ($88).  Combination fuel and vacuum pump ($7).  Rear axle with 4.11:1 gear ratio (no cost). Rear axle with 4.56:1 gear ratio (no cost).

SIGNIFICANT OPTIONS: Standard on Commodore and Optional on Super -

 Custom 18-inch steering wheel with horn ring ($19).  Electric clock ($14).  Fender parking lamps ($16).  Front and rear bumper bar extensions ($20).  Front and rear seat cushions ($17);  Front only ($9).  Horn ring with standard steering wheel ($6).  Large hub caps ($9).  Right side visor ($3).  Tires: 6.50 x 15 with four large hub caps ($28).

Optional All Series -

 Blue Gray Shadow Weave Cloth (Supers) was used in combination with any special three-quarter trim options.  Blue Gray Bedford Cloth (Commodores) was used in combination with any special three-quarter trim options.  Chrome wheel trim rings ($13).  Convertibles: Full-length trim; air foam seats, oversized tires, and extra sun visors were standard.  Direction indicator for Supers ($26).  Heavy scale front and rear springs for Sixes (no cost).  Heavy scale rear springs (no cost).  Leather trim - three-quarter ($32-53 depending on body style).  Leather grain trim - three-quarter ($25-41 depending on body style). Cars delivered at Factory Town included leather-grain trims in delivered prices.  Leather upholstery (full) with air foam seat cushions and an extra sun visor were standard in convertibles.  Police car and Taxi equipment ($11).  Police/Taxi package: Larger clutch, Heavy rear springs, 11" brakes, and heavy construction seats.  Radio ($77).  Red or Cream wheel color (no cost).  Right front door arm rest ($4).  Tires: Eight tire options were available at exchange prices from $14.60 to $72.80. Available sizes included 6.50 x 15, 6.00 x 16 and 7.00 x 15 and all could be had in four or six-ply construction on specific body styles and models. Many tire options included four large hub caps.  Weather Master heater ($50).  Whitewall tires available late in the year.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Sales of the 1947 Hudson line began in December 1946. The company built its 3,000,000 car in 1947, which was proudly displayed and photographed beside the 1909 model that was part of the factory's antique car collection. The Hudson milestone car was a fully equipped Commodore Eight convertible photographed with white sidewall tires. Six prototype wooden bodied station wagons were built for exclusive use on the factory grounds.

PRODUCTION: Model year totals peaked at 90,968 units. Hudson was rated the 13th largest producer in the U.S.A. See attached chart for production numbers.

Continued –

CAR IMAGES: Note: A copy of the 1947 Brochure is not available, so we are unable to provide 1947 images. We have used 1946 Illustrations since only minor trim details between the two years are minor.

The 1947 Hudson Convertible Brougham was a good-looking car in 1947. 361 Commodore 8s were sold that year. The Super version was more successful with 1,462 6-cylinder models delivered.

The 1947 Hudson Commodore 2-door Club Coupe was available as a 6 or 8-cylinder. There are no breakouts between the 8-cylinder and 6-cylinder versions.

The 1947 Hudson Commodore 4-door Sedan was also available as a 6 or 8-cylinder. It contributed a great deal to the 37,731 Commodores sold that year.

CAR IMAGES Continued

The 1947 Hudson Super Six 2-door Brougham was part of the 49,276 Super Sixes produced that year.

The 1947 Hudson Super 4-door Sedan was available with six- or eight-cylinder power. It also contributed a great deal to the 37,731 Commodores sold that year.

The 1947 Hudson Super 2-door Club Coupe was also available with either powerplant.