1928 Essex Super Six 'Smith & Waddington' Sedan

Created in October 1917, the Essex Motor Company was a marketing move by Hudson to produce a separate line of cheaper automobiles - the name was apparently chosen at random from a map of England. The first Essex was built in 1918, using a powerful four-cylinder engine and soon proved popular, particularly with the introduction of an affordable closed sedan body style in 1922, pioneering a shift away from open tourers for American buyers. By 1928, the Essex Super Six was powered by an L-head six-cylinder engine, with a three-speed floor-mounted gearbox. The 110.5-inch wheelbase chassis was fitted with four-wheel Bendix mechanical drum brakes in 1928, something seen as a major innovation at the time. With styling heavily influenced by the parent company Hudson, the 1928 Essex featured wider wings, a narrow radiator with beadlines running along the bonnet to the windscreen, a smaller windscreen visor and a host of other changes. Essex catalogued a number of body styles, including the usual Roadster, Coupe and Sedan types but a number were sent for export and bodied by local coachbuilders, including the example offered here. In total, Essex produced 229,887 cars in the 1928 calender year - the best result for the company yet - and continued making automobiles until 1933, when the marque was dropped and replaced with the Terraplane name instead.