1949 Hudson

This 1949 Hudson is described as a Commodore Six Convertible and carries supplied identifier 49187816. Introduced for 1948, Hudson’s Step-Down body program used unit-body construction with frame rails encircling a recessed passenger compartment, requiring occupants to step down into the cabin. That recessed floor and perimeter-frame arrangement lowered the car’s center of gravity, while permitting a body approximately five inches lower without relinquishing broad seating accommodations. Hudson styling leader Frank Spring headed the Step-Down design program, with Betty Thatcher contributing to the 1948 Hudson styling work. For 1949, Hudson retained its principal preceding-year body styles and expanded the Commodore range with more luxuriously trimmed Custom models. Hudson built 162,224 automobiles for 1949, a 38.18-percent increase over 1948, with Commodore positioned above the Super models in a range that also included Super Eight and Commodore Eight series. Period reference material identifies the Commodore Custom Six Convertible Brougham as the Commodore 492 Convertible Brougham, produced from November 1948 through November 1949. The supplied identifier presents an unresolved series-designation question, because Hudson’s 1949 serial convention assigned prefix 491 to Super Six models and prefix 492 to Commodore Six models despite this car’s Commodore Six description. Its sequence number, 87,816, falls within Hudson’s April 1949 production range, immediately after the March range ending at 87,255. This Hudson was reported as one of 656 1949 Commodore Six Convertibles, although a separate serial-number compilation records an approximate aggregate total of 596 convertibles and does not independently verify that figure. Restored to a high standard under prior ownership, this Hudson was displayed at the Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance in 2009. It was subsequently described as carefully maintained, with a tidy engine compartment and undercarriage observed at that time. The car was described with a subtle two-tone exterior scheme over beige upholstery and a black convertible top. In March 2022, it was recorded as running and driving well, with condition flaws characterized as not readily noticeable to passersby. The odometer was reported to show 55,048 miles on January 9, 2026. The 1949 Commodore Six Convertible Brougham was a rear-wheel-drive, two-door, six-passenger model on a 123.875-inch wheelbase. It measured 207.5 inches long, 77 1/16 inches wide, and 60.375 inches high, with a listed curb weight of 3,780 pounds. Factory Commodore Six power came from a 262-cubic-inch L-head inline-six with a 3 9/16-inch bore, 4 3/8-inch stroke, and 6.5:1 compression ratio, rated at 121 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm. The engine used four main bearings, mechanical valve lifters, pressure lubrication to all bearings except the wrist pins, and a Carter dual-downdraft carburetor. The standard three-speed helical-gear manual transmission drove the rear wheels through a 10-inch single-plate clutch, with ratios of 2.61:1 in first, 1.65:1 in second, 1.00:1 in third, and 3.17:1 in reverse. A semifloating hypoid rear axle with a listed 4.10:1 final-drive ratio was paired with independent front coil springs, semi-elliptic rear leaf springs, worm-and-roller steering, and 11-inch Bendix Duo-Servo brakes at all four wheels, with the emergency brake acting on the rear service brakes. This example was catalogued with left-hand drive and a manual transmission, and it was reported as equipped with power-operated convertible-top and window mechanisms. Reported equipment included an electric clock, AM radio, heater, whitewall tires with large Hudson hubcaps, and a top boot, spare tire, jack, and lug wrench. Step-Down Hudson convertibles used a broad windshield header rail designed to avoid a curved weather seal. Factory identification guidance places the serial-number plate on the right-front door hinge pillar, while Commodore Six reference specifications state that the engine number corresponded with the vehicle serial number. Combining Hudson’s Step-Down architecture with the upper-series Commodore Six configuration, this convertible belongs to the marque’s first postwar all-new body program. Its reported high-standard restoration, 2009 Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance appearance, and subsequent careful maintenance form the documented record, while the 491-prefix identifier remains a material point for identity review.