Super Six Sedan, Hudson Motor Car Company, Detroit (1929)
In 1928, when Swan House was completed, nearly one in every five Americans owned a car. Edward H. Inman owned six.
When Inman and his wife Emily commissioned architect Philip T. Shutze to design a luxury residence in Buckhead, he also asked for a garage to accommodate his vehicles. Shutze located the garage on the hill beyond the retaining wall behind Swan House. Today, the building is used as the Swan Coach House restaurant, gallery, and gift shop for the Forward Arts Foundation.
Passionate about racing and car collecting, on occasion Inman left Atlanta on a late train for New York, purchased a car the following morning, and returned on the next train to Atlanta. Over time, his collection included a steam-powered car manufactured by the White Motor Company, and cars by Simplex, Stearns, Cadillac, and Pierce Arrow.
Though this particular Hudson Super Six was not his, it is likely Inman owned a Hudson. Founded in 1909, Hudson manufactured autos, including the Super Six line of straight six cylinders, until 1954. The company made history in 1939 when it hired America’s first female automotive designer, Betty Thatcher Oros, to redesign the Hudson’s interior.
A fraternity brother of Inman’s, Jere Wickliffe “Wick” Goldsmith, was the Georgia distributer for Hudson with a showroom at 229 Peachtree Street. A luxury touring car, the Super Six had a sale price starting at $1,795, approximately $27,321 in today’s dollars.
Get up close and personal (but please don’t climb inside) this Super Six at Swan House next time you’re on campus. It’s parked across the driveway from a Model T (which we’d love you to hop in).