I spent entirely too much money on this old piece of canvas, but I just couldn’t resist this scrap of automotive history:
So when was this antique advertising piece in use? The Hudson Super-Six was introduced in 1916, but the Essex Super-Six did not make its appearance until 1927. The Essex name was gone by 1933, so that leaves a pretty small window for this vintage piece. I was also able to track down this 1928 newspaper advertisement for the original owner, the Freeman L. Larson Hudson-Essex dealership:
Note that the salesman would bring the car right to your door for a test drive.
Hudson used its tried and true marketing technique of setting speed and endurance records to sell the Essex. In March of 1927, it was reported that an Essex had set a new record for the third time in a matter of a few weeks. Timed by Western Union and observed by San Antonio newspapermen, the Essex ran for 24 consecutive hours at the local speedway, traveling 1218 miles and averaging 50.75 miles per hour. Thus the Essex was christened the car that would run “50 miles an hour all day long”.
The Essex was reasonably priced and outsold all other sixes in 1927.
The Terraplane was introduced as an Essex model in 1932 and was so popular, the Essex name was dropped the following year.