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1929
Essex Rumble Seat Coupe
Provided by Hemmings
High: $7,000
Average: $4,500
Low: $1,500
 The Hudson Motor Car Company introduced their low-priced companion car
named Essex in 1919. Initially powered by a husky four-cylinder F-head
engine of 55 bhp, these first-generation cars racked up some impressive
endurance and speed records. This included a cross-country run of four
of the cars, two starting from each coast, taking an average of only
four days, 21 hours and 32 minutes. This occurred at a time when many
roads in the U.S. were little more than rutted trails rather than the
four- and six-lane Interstates connecting the country that motorists
enjoy today.
However, the longest-lasting Essex achievement was in the field of coachwork.
In 1922 they introduced a four-passenger coach (sedan) for $1,495, the
lowest-priced closed car in America! Although it had all the style of
a refrigerator box, sales of the coach exceeded even Hudson's expectations
and demonstrated to the industry that closed cars were the wave of the
future for American consumers.
The big change for Essex came in 1924, when the F-head four was succeeded
by an inline flathead six, initially of 34 and later 40 horsepower. Styling
moved closer in appearance to the senior Hudsons and by 1927 the Essex
engine was even cataloged as the Super Six, carrying on the name of the
great Hudson engines of the 'teens and 'twenties.
By 1929, the six-cylinder engine had climbed back to the old F-head
four's rating of 55 bhp. Styling continued in the same vein as the all-new
1927 cars, which again looked like scaled-down Hudsons. A total of 227,653
Essexes were built during the 1929 model year, making it the second best
production record for the marque thus far, topped only by the 1928 total.
With such a good number of cars built in 1929 there is still a decent
selection of them available today. In unrestored and original cars prospective
buyers should check for wood rot in the body framing. If it is badly
deteriorated you could be in for a lot of time and expense. Otherwise,
restoration work should be quite straightforward and no more complicated
than any other low-priced car of the era.
Among the factory accessories that could add to the value of these cars
today would be wire wheels, rumble roof for rumble seat, rear-mounted
trunk and sidemount tires. 1929 Essex Rumble Seat Coupe
| Base price: |
$ 725 |
| Base weight: |
2,660 lbs. |
| Body: |
Four-passenger coupe, sheet metal over wood framing |
| Frame: |
Ladder type |
| Wheelbase: |
110.5 inches |
| Suspension: |
Semi-elliptic leaf springs |
| Brakes: |
Four-wheel mechanical drum; emergency brake on rear wheels |
| Engine: |
Six-cylinder inline L-head, 2.76 X 4.50 bore and stroke, 161.4
cid, 55 bhp @ 3600 rpm |
| Transmission: |
Three-speed selective sliding manual |
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