Lot details
Registration No: BS 9106
Chassis No: 4428734
Mot Expiry: None

OFFERED FOR SALE WITHOUT RESERVE

Essex was a sub brand of the Hudson Motor Company of Detroit. The products were aimed at the average family and, in common with those of other American manufacturers, were initially four-door open cars with canvas tops. However, while Henry Ford is credited with inventing the affordable car, Essex had much to do with making Sedans (Saloons) available to the masses and was manufacturing such vehicles as early as 1919. The company's marketing was equally innovative, and in 1919 one of its cars completed a 50-hour, 3,037.4 mile endurance test in Cincinnati at an average speed of no less than 60.75mph. Another, driven by Glen Shultz, won the formidable Pikes Peak hillclimb event of 1923. By 1924, the company was moving away from four-cylinder powerplants to, firstly, a 2.1-litre six-cylinder unit (the Six) and then a 2.5-litre one (the Super Six). This was used to power a range of models comprising a Speedster, Coupe, Coach and four-door, five-seat Sedan. The specification was typical of the day, with the engine mated to a three-speed manual gearbox and suspension by semi-elliptic leaf springs all round. Braking was initially on just two wheels, with the option of a four-wheel system following in 1927, which became standard fit the following year. The car rode on artillery wheels. By 1932 the brand had metamorphosed from Essex to Essex-Terraplane and, finally, just Terraplane.

The Super Six Sedan now offered is a right-hand drive example manufactured in Detroit in 1928 and exported to Australia as a rolling chassis. The four-door Sedan body was apparently constructed there by Holden Brothers and remained in the country until purchased at auction in 1997 by the current keeper. Though not too much is known of its history, the Super Six was apparently sequestered by the Royal Australian Air Force during WW2 and wears a plaque suggesting its participation in the Sapphire Coast Hub Rally of New South Wales in 1991. This charming vintage car is finished in Beige over Brown and features a striking Red patterned interior. It comes complete with luggage rack and spare wheel but is being sold without tax or MOT.