ClassicCar

They were built by companies specified by Hudson, to designs agreed upon (or even initiated) by Hudson. The chassis would be shipped to the body company which would then modify it and install the wooden body. The "woodies" were "factory" in the sense that they appeared in the catalogs and one could order them from Hudson. I don't get the feeling that Hudson pre-manufactured many (or any) and sent them out "on spec"; they had to have an order in hand to make one.



Needless to say there were never that many made. I knew a fellow in New Jersey who acquired two well-used ones in the early 1970's, a 1939 and a 1937. I actually visited the boatbuilder's shop in Hammonton, NJ, where the wood restoration was done on the 1937 (he didn't restore the '39). Both cars are owned by others now; Hedley Bennett currently owns the '39 and actually drove it once from his home in Canada down to "Doc's Meet" in Virginia.