timecapsule Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 The ID plate on my 1930 Hudson Super 8 has a row of what looks like a combination of hieroglyphics, and possibly Japanese symbols, and possibly Korean symbols, and other symbols as well, across the bottom. I posted this on the Hudson facebook page and a couple other guys said they had the same thing. One was a 1926 Essex and the other was a 1930 Essex. The fellow with the 1930 Essex posted a picture of the ID plate from his car and all the symbols were identical to mine. Does anybody have any idea why it's there and what it says? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 I think the plate was stamped by Venutians! Very curious, I cant wait to hear the real answer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Does any part of the car make reference to Voyager? Or have a picture of a nude couple? 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 And here I thought decoding a data plate from GM's Fremont California plant was insane... Waiting for HET folks to decipher this plate! 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 To infinity and beyond……. dave s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 Working on it... 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Ash Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 It probably says "Trade Mark Registered" in Japanese and/or Chinese. Here is a replica plate as used by Studebaker in the 1930s and possibly later for comparison. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timecapsule Posted December 30, 2022 Author Share Posted December 30, 2022 3 hours ago, Gary_Ash said: It probably says "Trade Mark Registered" in Japanese and/or Chinese. Here is a replica plate as used by Studebaker in the 1930s and possibly later for comparison. I probably agree, but it would be nice to have it translated. I think it's odd that all the symbols run together without spaces and yet they are so different from each other. There is one that is sort of square and I'm thinking it's Japanese. The ones that look like the bottom half of a stick man, I was thinking that they were Korean, but the others look like they are from outer space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans1 Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 the plate is from a 1928 ESSEX. Japanese Imperial Empire, dated August, 30th, 1929. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timecapsule Posted December 30, 2022 Author Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Hans1 said: the plate is from a 1928 ESSEX. Japanese Imperial Empire, dated August, 30th, 1929. The ID plate in the picture is not only on the firewall of my 1930 Hudson Super 8, but I also have documents of the original purchase of the car from the dealership purchased April 27 1930 with the same "car number" on the paperwork, as well as on the current paperwork. Edited December 30, 2022 by timecapsule (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans1 Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 You are correct, getting translation and used wrong line. See serial number list from Hudson parts book 1935 // Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timecapsule Posted December 30, 2022 Author Share Posted December 30, 2022 1 hour ago, Hans1 said: You are correct, getting translation and used wrong line. See serial number list from Hudson parts book 1935 // That image didn't load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) Here is the rough translation for the writing under the blank serial number area. Edited December 30, 2022 by Larry Schramm (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CChinn Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) I showed the photo of the plate supplied by Timecapsule in his original post (not the replica plate) to my wife who is Japanese (born and raised in Okinawa). She says the characters at the bottom are either Chinese or Japanese, but definitely not Korean. She sees the number 3,000 and two 6s. Can’t decipher the rest Edited December 30, 2022 by CChinn (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 I think it says "Caution: Wool. Place take-out boxes on rubber carpet" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timecapsule Posted December 30, 2022 Author Share Posted December 30, 2022 2 hours ago, CChinn said: I showed the photo of the plate supplied by Timecapsule in his original post (not the replica plate) to my wife who is Japanese (born and raised in Okinawa). She says the characters at the bottom are either Chinese or Japanese, but definitely not Korean. She sees the number 3,000 and two 6s. Can’t decipher the rest Thank your wife for me too. I have no idea what 3000 or a couple 6's represent but it's a good start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 (edited) On 12/27/2022 at 6:21 PM, timecapsule said: The ID plate on my 1930 Hudson Super 8 Just an FYI. Your Hudson is an “Eight” or a “Great Eight” or even a “Greater Eight” but it is not a “Super Eight”. Hudson offered a Super Six, but a “Super Eight” is a Packard…… Edited December 31, 2022 by m-mman (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timecapsule Posted January 1, 2023 Author Share Posted January 1, 2023 (edited) 10 hours ago, m-mman said: Just an FYI. Your Hudson is an “Eight” or a “Great Eight” or even a “Greater Eight” but it is not a “Super Eight”. Hudson offered a Super Six, but a “Super Eight” is a Packard…… Well, actually my car is a Super 8. It's a long story with a lot of intrigue and mystery. I'll try to condense the story for you. Back in late 1929, Hudson decided to make a straight flathead 8. Since they had such great results with their car named the Super 6, they decided to call the car Super 8. The number of Super 8 cars produced is not precisely known since pretty much all the early Hudson records were destroyed or "well hidden". But I've heard by several sources that it is suspected that about a dozen or less Super 8's made it out the door, when they got a call from Packard. Saying that they had a trademark on "Super 8 ". Hudson promptly changed the name to Great 8 sometime in the early part of 1930. I have one, and there is a fellow in Australia who also has one, and I've chatted with that guy. I've sent along pictures of the badging on my car, which include the headlight bezels, the radiator shell, and the running board step plate . He also has the same badging on his car. Mine and his are the only two 1930 Super 8's left that myself and he knows of. But the even more intriguing aspect of this car is the secrecy around it. There doesn't seem to be any actual written information from Hudson or even Packard, that will support all this. However I do have an eight page Hudson service document, called "Hudson Reference Sheet #35" dated January 1930, titled " Mechanical Specifications For Hudson Super Eight 1930 Models" . Also, the fellow in Australia has 2 original Instruction Booklets. One is dated January 1930, titled "Instruction Book Hudson Super Eight". The other one is dated April 1930, titled "Instruction Book Hudson Eight". I have seen pictures of the cover of each of those books. The Australian fella says the only difference in the two books cover to cover, is the one word on the cover of one of them, that being the words "Super Eight", rather than Hudson 8. He also has the appropriate badging on his car like I do on my car. However I have an original 1930 Hudson Parts Catalog and there is no mention of the 3 parts (pictures below) showing the Super 8 badging anywhere in the catalog, nor is there any mention of the word "Super" in the catalog. It is dated April of 1930. It has been an extremely well kept secret over the years. My only guess is that maybe it was part of the out of court settlement that Hudson and Packard made, that the misuse of the "Super 8" by Hudson, should not be written about and all the badging that was ready and waiting on the assembly line, be destroyed. Judging by the dates on the literature that the Australian fella has, along with my parts catalog, and the 8 page reference sheet #35 that I have, I'm guessing that by April all the Super 8 literature had been stopped, and reprinted without the word "Super". I have a coffee table book about an inch and a half thick, called "The History of Hudson" by Don Butler, which is considered to be a very well written and knowledgeable book according to Hudson enthusiasts. There is about 8 pages in that book on the 1930's, and no mention of the 1930 Super Eight. The Australian fellow has had his car for a few decades now and he tells me he has never been able to find out any more information about the Super 8's. I've contacted the Hudson Museum in Ypsilanti Michigan and they know nothing about this story. Edited January 1, 2023 by timecapsule (see edit history) 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StillOutThere Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 After WWII Hudson again offered "Super 8" model series cars in 1946 through 1950. Did Packard drop their challenge? Or had the rights to the name expired somehow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timecapsule Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 (edited) 25 minutes ago, StillOutThere said: After WWII Hudson again offered "Super 8" model series cars in 1946 through 1950. Did Packard drop their challenge? Or had the rights to the name expired somehow? Yeah, I discovered that fact too as I was looking into this mystery. I too wondered what you just said. I don't know much about trademarks or whatever it was that Packard claimed. Perhaps if it was a Patent that they had on the name, I understand that it can expire after a period of time. So you might be right about that. Edited January 21, 2023 by timecapsule (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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